The nurse in the emergency department (ED) is caring for an unconscious client who sustained a head injury following a motor vehicle crash. The health care provider (HCP) has ordered an emergency surgery.
Which action should the nurse take regarding informed consent?
The nurse in the emergency department (ED) is caring for an unconscious client who sustained a head injury following a motor vehicle crash. The health care provider (HCP) has ordered an emergency surgery.
Which action should the nurse take regarding informed consent?
A. obtain a court order for the surgical procedure in place of an informed consent
[4%]
B. search the client's belongings for any identification
[4%]
C. transport the client to the operating room for surgery immediately
[86%]
D. call the police to report the incident, identify the client, and locate the family
[6%]
Statistics
Subject/Lesson
Subject
Leadership & Management
Lesson
Ethical/Legal
Client Need
Test Plan
Management of Care
Related Topic
Informed Consent
Item Type
Item Type
Application
Explanation
Choice C is correct. Generally, a lack of decision-making capacity with inadequate time to find an appropriate proxy without harming the client, such as a life-threatening emergency where the client is not conscious, is a situation that allows informed consent to be waived. Here, the delay in providing an emergency craniotomy to an unconscious client would likely result in the client's death, making this case a situation where informed consent would be waived.
Choice A is incorrect. Obtaining a court order for the necessary surgical procedure in place of informed consent is an unreasonable and lengthy intervention that would delay the required emergency treatment, likely leading to a negative client outcome.
Choice B is incorrect. Searching the client's belongings for identification would delay transport to the surgical suite. The physician has the ability to override consent in this situation. The nurse should transport the client to the operating room.
Choice D is incorrect. Although a decision may be made to contact the police to report the incident, identify the client, and locate the family, at this point, the urgency will not allow for the surgery to be delayed to provide time for the police to find the client's family members. The client's severe head injury requires an emergent craniotomy. The longer the client is required to wait before surgery, the more likely the client will have significant, long-term brain damage.
Related Videos
2 Key Topics
Informed Consent
15.1 Documentation, Consent & Information Systems
Additional Info
✓ In emergencies, when a decision must be made urgently, the client cannot participate in decision-making, and the client's surrogate is unavailable, the health care provider (HCP) may initiate treatment without prior informed consent.
✓ During these situations, the HCP should inform the client/surrogate at the earliest opportunity and obtain consent for ongoing treatment.
