A Spanish-speaking couple comes in for genetic testing. They are planning to start a family and are concerned because the wife's sister has cystic fibrosis
The clinic's consent form is in English and the husband is illiterate and speaks only Spanish. The nurse does not speak Spanish. What should the nurse do?
A) Inform the patients they just needed to sign so the testing could be done.
B) Informing the geneticist that the couple cannot give informed consent.
C) Let the wife translate for her husband.
D) Explain the form to the patient in English and have him sign it.
Ans: B
Feedback: Nurses assess the patient's capacity and ability to give voluntary consent. This includes assessment of factors that may interfere with informed consent, such as hearing loss, language differences, cognitive impairment, and the effects of medication. The nurse's best action is to inform the geneticist that the couple cannot give informed consent until a translator is available. The other answers are incorrect because just having the couple sign the form or explaining it in English and then having them sign the form does not allow you to know that the husband understands what he is signing. The wife cannot translate for her husband because you do not know it she is translating the document correctly.
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