Nursing and Informed Consent: Authority Without Responsibility?
A signed Informed Consent form represents more than a patient’s autonomous choice to undergo a treatment or procedure. It is all about patient safety.
Patient consent is a medical staff policy, and nurses are not always present for the discussion about risks, benefits and alternatives. So what is the role of the nurse in this important process? Think TEAMWORK.
At Clarian, there are patient care policies – Procedural Time Out (Universal Protocol) and Perioperative Patient Safety Verification – that give any health care provider, but especially nurses, the authority to “pause” the team before any treatment or procedure begins.
Nurses are responsible for confirming or verifying that the consent form is signed. This is more than checking to see if a signature is present on the line. I frequently hear nurses express concern that a patient doesn’t really understand what they are consenting to. When nurses feel this way, for any reason, they owe it to the patient to clarify their goals regarding their treatment choice.
Being part of a team means the nurse should take it one step farther: “Can you tell me in your own words what procedure you are going to have? Did you have the opportunity to have all your questions answered? What goal do you hope to achieve by having this procedure done?”
If the patient’s responses are inconsistent with your understanding of the risks, benefits and alternatives to the procedure, it is your responsibility to notify the attending physician and express your concerns. Document your concerns and your actions.
No one wants to delay a procedure or treatment for a documentation detail. However, that detail is evidence that we have respected the patient’s rights by properly obtaining their informed consent.
Lucia Wocial, PhD, RN
Clarian Health Nurse Ethicist
To join a team of Registered Nurses that respects patient rights, visit Nursing Jobs Indianapolis
A signed Informed Consent form represents more than a patient’s autonomous choice to undergo a treatment or procedure. It is all about patient safety.
Patient consent is a medical staff policy, and nurses are not always present for the discussion about risks, benefits and alternatives. So what is the role of the nurse in this important process? Think TEAMWORK.
At Clarian, there are patient care policies – Procedural Time Out (Universal Protocol) and Perioperative Patient Safety Verification – that give any health care provider, but especially nurses, the authority to “pause” the team before any treatment or procedure begins.
Nurses are responsible for confirming or verifying that the consent form is signed. This is more than checking to see if a signature is present on the line. I frequently hear nurses express concern that a patient doesn’t really understand what they are consenting to. When nurses feel this way, for any reason, they owe it to the patient to clarify their goals regarding their treatment choice.
Being part of a team means the nurse should take it one step farther: “Can you tell me in your own words what procedure you are going to have? Did you have the opportunity to have all your questions answered? What goal do you hope to achieve by having this procedure done?”
If the patient’s responses are inconsistent with your understanding of the risks, benefits and alternatives to the procedure, it is your responsibility to notify the attending physician and express your concerns. Document your concerns and your actions.
No one wants to delay a procedure or treatment for a documentation detail. However, that detail is evidence that we have respected the patient’s rights by properly obtaining their informed consent.
Lucia Wocial, PhD, RN
Clarian Health Nurse Ethicist
To join a team of Registered Nurses that respects patient rights, visit Nursing Jobs Indianapolis
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