The Role of Nurses in Securing Consent
Types of consent
Consent comes in a form of implied and expressed consent. In nurses’ day-to-day dealing with patients, consent is secured from patients frequently. Implied consent refers to nonverbal acknowledgement of a health care provider’s request to provide treatment (O’Keefe, 2001). An example of implied consent would be when a nurse walks to the patient and inform the patient that she is going to administer an antiemetic injection and the patient rolls up his/her sleeve and brings his arm forward indicates the patient has given an implied consent.
Expressed consent refers to verbal and written. It should be obtained when the treatment is likely to be more than mildly painful, when it carries appreciable risk, or when it will result in ablation of a bodily function (Evans, 2006). Nurses secure verbal informed consent by the patient bedside and the consent is obtained by providing patients with detailed information regarding the procedure. For example, prior to the insertion of a cannula, the nurse would provide the patients with information to secure an informed consent.
The physician obtains written informed consent when patients require a medical or surgical procedure. The physician carrying out the procedure will provide the patient with detailed information when obtaining an informed consent. The role of the nurse is to be a witness. Dr Young (2007) indicated that 70 percent of what patients are told is forgotten immediately after the consultation. Therefore the nurse will access the patient comprehension of the information given. The nurse has an ethical responsibility, to do good and no harm by informing the physician if the patient is unclear or has unanswered questions pertaining to the procedure for the consent that has been obtained, to be considered valid.
Professional drivers
Nurses are guided by the Singapore Nursing Board (SNB), which indicates that nurses have a duty to obtain consent for nursing interventions where
Consent comes in a form of implied and expressed consent. In nurses’ day-to-day dealing with patients, consent is secured from patients frequently. Implied consent refers to nonverbal acknowledgement of a health care provider’s request to provide treatment (O’Keefe, 2001). An example of implied consent would be when a nurse walks to the patient and inform the patient that she is going to administer an antiemetic injection and the patient rolls up his/her sleeve and brings his arm forward indicates the patient has given an implied consent.
Expressed consent refers to verbal and written. It should be obtained when the treatment is likely to be more than mildly painful, when it carries appreciable risk, or when it will result in ablation of a bodily function (Evans, 2006). Nurses secure verbal informed consent by the patient bedside and the consent is obtained by providing patients with detailed information regarding the procedure. For example, prior to the insertion of a cannula, the nurse would provide the patients with information to secure an informed consent.
The physician obtains written informed consent when patients require a medical or surgical procedure. The physician carrying out the procedure will provide the patient with detailed information when obtaining an informed consent. The role of the nurse is to be a witness. Dr Young (2007) indicated that 70 percent of what patients are told is forgotten immediately after the consultation. Therefore the nurse will access the patient comprehension of the information given. The nurse has an ethical responsibility, to do good and no harm by informing the physician if the patient is unclear or has unanswered questions pertaining to the procedure for the consent that has been obtained, to be considered valid.
Professional drivers
Nurses are guided by the Singapore Nursing Board (SNB), which indicates that nurses have a duty to obtain consent for nursing interventions where
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