Understanding the Informed Consent Process- Roles Responsibilities and Ensuring Patient Competence

Understanding the Informed Consent Process- Roles Responsibilities and Ensuring Patient Competence

Informed Consent

Informed consent is a process in which a healthcare professional educates patients about the benefits, risks, and alternatives to medical intervention or surgical procedures (Kadam, 2017). The patient should be competent and make a voluntary decision on the type of treatment they want. Informed consent is n ethical and legal obligation for all healthcare professionals in the United States. Informed consent should include the nature of the interventions, benefits and risks, reasonable alternatives, benefits and risks, and evaluation of the patient’s comprehension of the elements (Kadam, 2017).

In this case study, informed consent should be sought from the patient’s parents or the patient. The United States laws authorize the patient’s legal guardians to give informed consent if the patient is a minor (Shah et al., 2020). There are some exemptions where a minor patient can be treated without seeking informed consent from the legal guardian. Some scenarios include a married minor, minors seeking healthcare for sexually transmitted infections, mental inpatient voluntary admission, an emancipated minor, or a medical emergency that puts the minor at risk of significant morbidity or death (Shah et al., 2020).

The minor is severe abdominal pain; hence, informed consent can be sought from the patient. The client’s situation is an emergency, which allows for informed consent to be sought from her. It is also important to inquire about the status of the patient’s legal guardians, such as parents, who will be consulted on the patient’s medical condition. The patient’s boyfriend does not have any role in the informed consent process. She is not married to the patient, and the patient is not emancipated either.

In conclusion, nurses need to be aware of laws governing informed consent in the United States due to the ethical and legal implications associated with it.

References

Kadam R. A. (2017). Informed consent process: A step further towards making it meaningful!. Perspectives in clinical research, 8(3), 107–112. https://doi.org/10.4103/picr.PICR_147_16

Shah, P., Thornton, I., Turrin, D., & Hipskind, J. E. (2020, August 22). Informed consent – StatPearls – NCBI bookshelf. National Center for Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430827/

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Elements of Informed Consent:

The individual giving consent must fully understand the procedure, the risks involved, expected/desired outcomes, expected complications/side effects, and alternative treatments or therapies available.
Consent is given by a competent adult, legal guardian or designated power of attorney (DPOA), emancipated or married minor, parent of a minor, or a court order.

Understanding the Informed Consent Process- Roles Responsibilities and Ensuring Patient Competence

When the person giving consent is unable to communicate due to a language barrier, a trained medical interpreter must be provided.
The nurse’s role is to witness the client’s signature and ensure the provider gives the necessary information and that the client understands and is competent to sign. If it has been identified that the client does not understand the procedure or is not competent to sign the informed consent, the nurse must STOP the process, and the physician must be notified immediately.
A consultation occurs when a professional provides expert advice in a particular area and determines what treatment or services the client requires. The nursing intervention evolves around facilitating coordination with other health care providers throughout the continuum of care in order to protect the client from conflicting and potentially dangerous treatments.