A registered nurse in the United States is asked to witness a patient's signature on a legal document. The patient says, "I signed this because my family is threatening to stop visiting me." What should the nurse do?

Correct answer: C. Stop the witnessing process and report possible coercion

  • A. Witness the signature because the form is already completed
  • B. Ask the family to confirm the patient's decision
  • C. Stop the witnessing process and report possible coercion
  • D. Tell the patient to sign quickly before changing the decision

Explanation

A signature must be voluntary and free from coercion for consent to be valid. The nurse should stop witnessing, protect the patient from pressure, and notify the appropriate provider or supervisor for further assessment.

Submitted by a TestUstad contributor and published by the TestUstad editorial teamLast updated
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About US Legal and Ethical Nursing Practice

US nursing law and ethics include state nurse practice acts, scope of practice, standards of care, negligence, malpractice, documentation, confidentiality under HIPAA and informed consent. Ethical reasoning applies autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice and fidelity to conflicts such as refusal of treatment, advance directives, privacy breaches and mandatory reporting, which are not the same as legal liability.

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