Question

A nurse is preparing a 24-hour-old baby boy for circumcision. the hospital policy guidelines for circumcision support pain medication at least 1 hour prior to the start of the procedure. the provider did not order the pain medication. the provider arrives, and the nurse refuses to bring the baby for the circumcision stating that the pain medication was not ordered. which is the rationale for refusing to bring the baby for the procedure?

Answer 1

The correct answer is "a nurse has a right to refuse orders that they believe will be harmful to the client".

In this case, there was no standing order for administering pain medications. Since it was not ordered, pain medication was not given to the baby. Even if the physician insists of circumcising the baby, the nurse can refuse as (1) this breaks the hospital policy, and (2) this can be harmful to the baby.