Question

A patient arrives alone at the emergency room with a life-threatening head wound. They fall unconscious and cannot consent to treatment. What should the team do?

a
Operate on the patient to save their life, since consent is implied.

b
Wait to contact a family member to obtain consent.

c
Nothing; the team cannot legally treat the patient in this situation.

d
Wait until the patient becomes conscious again before operating.

Answer 1

b

Step-by-step explanation:

A is somewhat correct. The only reason it is wrong is because the medical team hasn't reached out to a family member for consent. Had they reached out, if the family member didn't respond, it then would have been implied consent, as long as no DNRs or other paperwork like that was signed. B is correct because this is the next step after either giving or not giving consent. Implied consent is kind of a last resort option. That's when they've tried to reach out to a family member but didn't get any response. C is incorrect because they can treat the patient if given consent by a family member, or, by implied consent, if the family member didn't respond. D is incorrect because the patient may not regain consciousness and could die before they get consent from them.

I took a law class, so I hope the information is still the same.

Hope this helps! :)