Final answer:
The process involves a nurse determining a client's capacity to make health-related decisions. If the client is incapable, the nurse informs them a substitute decision-maker, such as a health care proxy, will act. This is guided by autonomy, beneficence, and legal documents like a living will.
Step-by-step explanation:
If the nurse proposing a treatment or evaluating capacity to make an admission or personal assistance service decision determines the client is incapable of making the decision, then the nurse informs the client that a substitute decision-maker will be asked to make the final decision. This is done in a way that takes into account the particular circumstances of the client's condition and the nurse-client relationship. The central issue here is ensuring the autonomy and well-being of the client, while also providing the necessary support through a health care proxy or other legally appointed substitute decision-maker. This may involve advanced care planning tools such as a living will, which clarifies a client's wishes regarding medical treatments and procedures in the event they are unable to communicate those wishes due to incapacity.
Concerning decision-making capacity in health care, various ethical principles come into play, including the principle of autonomy, which upholds an individual's right to make their own decisions, and the principle of beneficence, which mandates actions be directed towards the good of the individual. It's also important to consider established protocols, such as allowing parents to consent on behalf of minors, as they are legally not competent to give consent on their own.