If you work and had to take a leave of absence because you got sick, you will need a medical clearance form before going back to work. Presenting this clearance form will help your employer understand whether you are mentally and physically fit to get back to work.
Medical Clearance Forms
What is the medical clearance form?
A medical clearance letter is a special kind of form that you can use for different purposes. For instance, aside from going back to work, you can use it if you plan to participate in certain activities. For this, a physician will fill out the form indicating whether you’re medically fit or not.
Your physician is the only one who knows your medical history. There are many cases where the form becomes essential and it is only the doctor who can provide it to you when the need arises.
What is the purpose of a medical clearance?
When it comes to a medical clearance form, your current health condition won’t matter. What really matters is the permission that your physician grants because they are the only one authorized to give this permission for you to do what you want.
If you intend to participate in an activity, your doctor is the only one who may allow you to join. Aside from granting permission, a medical clearance form for dental surgery or any other purpose also protects the doctor as they would have already written their recommendation on it.
The doctor, therefore, won’t have liability should you go against their recommendations. For instance, if you plan to take part in a program that involves cardio exercises, you need to get this form from your doctor that indicates if you’re allowed to join the activity.
The clearance won’t allow patients of a doctor to do certain things. But since the doctor is the professional, they have the overall power to set restrictions or limitations for patients who want to engage in these kinds of activities.
It is, therefore, your responsibility after getting the clearance from your doctor, to follow the recommendations that have been set for you. The clearance gives permission and will also protect you. The doctor, however, will decide what you can do.
Medical Clearance Letters
How to make a medical clearance form
A medical clearance form gets issued upon your request, granting you the authority to go through with something. For instance, employers or insurance agencies may require a medical clearance letter that indicates your clean bill of health. Persons who recently have undergone heart surgeries also require clearance before engaging in vigorous physical activities.
In many cases, patients who would undergo surgery also require a “go-ahead” in the form of a medical clearance form. There are several reasons where you may need this letter and the aforementioned are just a few. The document’s ability to convey what you can and can’t do is very important. Here are the steps in making this document:
- The purpose
Every medical clearance should have a purpose. For instance, it might be to verify that a person is physically fit to exercise, work, study or have some kind of medical procedure performed. The letter should be tailor-made to its purpose. - The details
The doctor’s procedure of evaluating the patient to grant them either a “go” or a “no” should be clearly spelled out. For instance, was the person asked the right questions? The document must clearly mention whether the doctor deemed the person fit or not. - The recipient
The consulting physician should make sure that the clearance carries their qualifications. This practitioner could be an ophthalmologist, dentist, general physician, or any other medical professional. The practitioner’s designation and qualifications on the clearance are highly important. - The element of confidentiality
Even if the patient isn’t a regular, all information shared between the doctor and patient are strictly confidential. The doctor should keep the results safe and not share these with anyone else. - The sign-off
Finally, a doctor should not forget to affix their medical seal and signature on the form. The doctor should also provide their contact details on the form so that the patient can reach them in case they need further clarification.
How do you get a medical clearance?
If needed, you can get a medical clearance from your doctor within 30 days of when you need it. If you just recovered from an illness or a medical procedure, your doctor should give you a physical exam first before giving you this document.
Surgery Medical Clearance Forms
What is needed for medical clearance for surgery?
Patients who would undergo surgery must first get a medical clearance exam to make sure that their body is physically healthy to endure the procedure. Surgeries can be very tough on the body and some surgeries are even more stressful than others.
Before giving a medical clearance form, your doctor will perform medical clearance tests. This ensures that you can handle what comes next. During a surgical procedure, your body gets subjected to a lot of stress before, during, and after the procedure.
Even the most common surgeries can put physical stress on your heart. When you get an anesthesia shot and then an operation, your blood pressure and heart rate fluctuate – this might cause undiagnosed heart diseases to surface.
This is the reason why doctors recommend that patients undergo medical clearance exams – to avoid unexpected and serious complications during surgery. The main purpose of the exam is to pinpoint underlying health issues that might affect your surgical procedure.
Still, there is no full guarantee of success when you go under the knife because even the most comprehensive medical clearance exams might fail to identify underlying problems. This means that surgery always comes with a certain measure of risk.
Before the surgery, you may also have to go through a pre-op exam. As the name suggests, this occurs before your operation your doctor performs it. On average, the checkup is usually done around one month before your surgery date. This provides your surgeon and doctor enough time to deal with any medical problems you have before your surgery.
The pre-op exam includes a physical exam along with a discussion of your current condition and health history. Some surgeons may require you to discuss with a pre-op nurse or an anesthesiologist before your surgery to discuss your state of health. The reports of this exam go to your surgeon days or weeks before the date of your surgery.