Ethics and Legal Concepts in Nursing: Consent (low resolution assessment copy)

To protect patient's interests in health care, principles of informed consent have been developed to ensure a person's right to decide the type of treatments they are prepared to receive. Patients see themselves as active participants in their health care and health care professions support this involvement. Informed consent not only protects the patients' rights, but also those of nurses and other health care professionals, from possible legal ramifications.

It is a complex area, and one that can present medical professionals, including nurses, with ethical dilemmas. If consent is given (or not) by a patient or by a patient's partner or family member - and abiding by their wishes places their life or health in jeopardy - what do you do?

In the world of health care, procedures can be risky and invasive. Expert health care knowledge means that there is the potential for a power imbalance in the nurse/patient relationship.

Furthermore, the advancement of health care knowledge and technology relies on research, which often requires patient involvement.

This program looks at consent in health care through the dramatised presentation of two case studies.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• consent
• health
• care
• ethics
• treatments
• decision
• patient