The nurse is preparing to witness the patient signing the operative consent form when the patient says, "I do not really understand what the doctor said." Which action is best for the nurse to take?
a. Provide an explanation of the planned surgical procedure.
b. Notify the surgeon that the informed consent process is not complete.
c. Administer the prescribed preoperative antibiotics and withhold any ordered sedative medications.
d. Notify the operating room staff that the surgeon needs to give a more complete explanation of the procedure.
ANS: B
The surgeon is responsible for explaining the surgery to the patient, and the nurse should wait until the surgeon has clarified the surgery before having the patient sign the consent form. The nurse should communicate directly with the surgeon about the consent form rather than asking other staff to pass on the message. It is not within the nurse's legal scope of practice to explain the surgical procedure. No preoperative medications should be administered until the patient understands the surgical procedure and signs the consent form.
You might also like to view...
The physician writes an order for levothyroxine sodium (Synthroid) 75 micrograms. Each table contains 0.025 mg. How many tablets would you administer?
1. 300 tablets 2. 3 1/3 tablets 3. 3 tablets 4. 30 tablets
While receiving discharge teaching, an adult client recovering from a prostatectomy is distressed to learn that episodes of incontinence may occur. Which should the nurse teach the client to help minimize incontinence?
A) Proper administration of incontinence medication B) Steps to change the Foley catheter bag every day C) Fluid restriction D) Kegel exercises
Select the results (in italics) that are normal in a urinalysis
A. pH 6 B. Specific gravity 1.015 C. Protein small D. Sugar negative E. Nitrate small F. Leukocyte esterase positiveG. Bilirubin negative
The nurse is counseling a family with a child who has been abused by adult family friend in the past. When explaining about the child's needs, which of the following would be most important for the nurse to stress?
A) A supportive relationship with an adult B) Long-term psychotherapy C) Antidepressant medications D) Short-term separation from the parents