The school nurse is trying to get consent to care for an 11-year-old boy with diabetic ketoacidosis. His parents are out of town on vacation and the child is staying with a neighbor. Which action would be the priority?
A) Getting telephone consent, with two people listening to the verbal consent
B) Providing emergency care without parental consent
C) Contacting the child's aunt or uncle to obtain consent
D) Advocating for parens patriae to proceed with care for the child
A
Feedback:
The priority action would be to contact the neighbor for an emergency number to reach the parents and get their verbal consent, with two witnesses listening simultaneously. If the nurse cannot reach the parents and there is no relative or other person with written authorization to act on the parent's behalf, then the physician may initiate emergency care without the parent's consent. Parens patriae would be reserved for situations in which the parents are neglectful, irresponsible, or incompetent, for example, if the parents refuse treatment and the health care team feels the treatment is reasonable and warranted.
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