REPORT: December 2005

Ask the Experts

And the answer is…

Nurses at the 2005 NYSNA Convention answered the following question for a chance to win autographed copies of Suzanne Gordon’s latest book, Nursing Against the Odds: How Health Care Cost Cutting, Media Stereotypes, and Medical Hubris Undermine Nurses and Patient Care. Congratulations to Eileen Falcone and Ann Tahaney, whose names were chosen from those who correctly answered the practice question.

Q.: What is a registered nurse’s responsibility when a patient requires informed consent for a surgical procedure? Choose one response:

The RN should:

1. Sign the consent form in the chart after reviewing that the surgeon, as well as patient and/or proxy have signed.
2. Sign the consent representing that he/she has witnessed the patient and/or proxy signing the informed consent after the surgeon has discussed the procedure with the patient and/or proxy.
3. Write the procedure name and risks/benefits on the consent form, discuss the procedure with the patient and/or proxy, have the patient and/or proxy sign the form, and place the document in the chart for the surgeon’s signature.
4. Have no role in the informed consent process; it is the responsibility of the surgeon.

A.: For those of you who were unable to attend Convention or are wondering about the correct response — the answer to the practice question is B.

Rationale: An RN’s role is to act as a witness to the patient and/or proxy’s identity and to the patient and/or proxy’s signature on the form. The RN witnesses the document that stipulates that an authorized provider has obtained the consent after informing the patient and/or proxy. The RN cannot witness the paper as the informer since the RN cannot prescribe treatment or provide the meaningful exchange of information about the plan of care, purpose, risk/benefits, and available alternatives.