Question

The nurse notices the surgical consent form of a pre-operative client who is scheduled for surgery this morning is unsigned. What is the nurse's best action?

a. Notify the health care provider; it is the physician's responsibility to obtain the consent.
b. Provide the client with the risks, benefits, and purpose of the surgical procedure.
c. Notify the client's caregiver, and obtain telephone consent from the caregiver.
d. Notify the client's caregiver, and obtain consent from the client.

Answer 1

The nurse should notify the health care provider when they notice an unsigned surgical consent form, as obtaining informed consent is the physician's responsibility. The consent involves explaining the risks and benefits and ensuring the patient's voluntary agreement to the surgery.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse notices the surgical consent form of a pre-operative client who is scheduled for surgery this morning is unsigned. In such situations, the nurse's best action would be to notify the health care provider, as it is typically the physician's responsibility to explain the risks, benefits, and the purpose of the surgical procedure, and to obtain informed consent directly from the patient.

According to standard healthcare procedures, informed consent is crucial and must be obtained before performing any surgical interventions. In the situation where consent cannot be directly obtained from the patient, such as in cases where the patient is unable to provide consent due to their condition, the consent should then be obtained from the patient's legally authorized representative.

It is important that the surgical team, including the nurse, surgeon, and anesthesia professional, are all aware of the signed consent before proceeding with the surgery, as it encompasses acknowledgement of the patient's understanding of the procedure's risks and benefits as well as the assertion of their voluntary agreement to the surgery.