The nurse cares for an infant undergoing a surgical repair of a total anomalous pulmonary venous return tomorrow. The doctor has talked to the parents and obtained consent. The mother tells the nurse, "I'm not so sure about this. What if my baby dies?" The nurse's most appropriate response is:
The nurse cares for an infant undergoing a surgical repair of a total anomalous pulmonary venous return tomorrow. The doctor has talked to the parents and obtained consent. The mother tells the nurse, "I'm not so sure about this. What if my baby dies?" The nurse's most appropriate response is:
A. Explain the procedure to the mother.
[12%]
B. Notify the surgical team and have them come back to speak with the mother again.
[84%]
C. Reassure the mother that everything will go as planned.
[3%]
D. Tell the mother that because she has already signed the consent, she cannot change her mind now.
[0%]
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 B is correct. The nurse has identified that the mother has concerns about the surgery, so it is her responsibility to notify the surgical team and have them come back to speak with the mother.
Choice A is incorrect. It is not the responsibility of the nurse to explain the surgical procedure to the mother. This would be acting outside of her scope of practice and would not be appropriate. The surgeon/surgical team doing the procedure should be the one explaining it again to the mother.
Choice C is incorrect. It is not appropriate to reassure the mother that everything will go as planned. There are always risks involved with the surgery, so it would be inappropriate to make such statements.
Choice D is incorrect. It is not appropriate to tell the mother that she cannot change her mind because she has already signed the consent paperwork. The child's legal guardian does have the ability to change their mind and should not be discouraged from asking questions.
NCSBN Client Need: Topic: Psychosocial Integrity; Subtopic: Ethics
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2 Key Topics
Informed Consent
