A registered nurse in the United States is caring for an unconscious adult patient who has no advance directive and no available surrogate. The patient needs immediate treatment to prevent death. Which principle permits treatment?
Correct answer: B. Implied consent in a life-threatening emergency
- A. The nurse's personal preference for treatment
- B. Implied consent in a life-threatening emergency
- C. The family's presumed refusal of treatment
- D. The patient's previous verbal complaint
Explanation
In an emergency, an unconscious patient who cannot consent is generally presumed to consent to necessary life-saving treatment when no surrogate is available. This emergency exception does not permit unrelated or nonurgent procedures.
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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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