Question

A client who will be receiving electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) must provide informed consent. Which situation should cause a nurse to question the validity of the informed consent?

A. The client is paranoid.
B. The client is 87 years old.
C. The client incorrectly reports his or her spouse's name, the date, and the time of day.
D. The client relies on his or her spouse to interpret the information.

Answer 1

Informed consent may be invalid if a client cannot correctly report basic orientation information such as their spouse's name, the date, and time, as it suggests a potential lack of capacity to understand the treatment.

Step-by-step explanation:

The validity of informed consent should be questioned when a client incorrectly reports his or her spouse's name, the date, and the time of day. This may indicate that the client is not oriented to time, place, or person and therefore may lack the capacity to fully understand the implications of the ECT procedure and the associated risks and benefits. Obtaining informed consent requires the person to have the mental capacity to make such decisions. Paranoia or reliance on a spouse for interpretation does not inherently invalidate consent, nor does the age of the client, as long as they are competent.