Question

What is the nurse's responsibility in relationship to obtaining informed consent?

Answer 1

Nurse’s responsibility in relation to obtaining informed consent

Informed consent

Informed consent is the patient’s choice for a particular treatment. It is a procedure of obtaining the full consent of the patient before any particular procedure by giving a detailed description regarding the procedure, its benefits, risks involved and the other alternatives for the particular treatment. The patient has the full right to accept or reject a particular procedure or treatment.

Responsibilities of the nurse

• The nurse is responsible for the verification and also for witnessing the patient and the legal representative has signed the informed consent in their presence.
• The nurse is also accountable to ensure that the patient and the legal representative are of the legal age to make the decision.
• The nurse should also check that the patient and the legal representative have a sufficient amount of knowledge regarding the treatment or the procedure before they give their consent so that they are able to make a knowledgeable decision.
• After witnessing and getting the informed consent it should be properly placed with the other medical records and should be sent along with the patient file during the procedure or treatment.
• The nurse should also document that she witnessed the informed consent and should also mention the date and time when the consent was taken.
• The nurse is also responsible to ensure that before witnessing the informed consent the nurse should possess an ample amount of information regarding the procedure or treatment so that she is able to answer any queries of the patient.