Critique of the Article: Nursing Assignment

Running head: NURSING ASSIGNMENT
NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Name of the Student
Name of the university
Author’s note

3
CRITIQUE OF THE ARTICLE
NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Medical surgical nursing involves providing care to all group of patients. Nurses are
responsible for providing care to a variety of individuals, coming of various cultural background.
Ethical issues occurs when she has refused the principle of ethical care.
While my placement in a clinical setting. Several issues like conflict with the patient regarding
the end of life care are often faced by the health care professionals. The participant of the patient
in taking decision is especially important. Patient consent and patient involvement in the decision
making process is deemed particularly appropriate towards the end of life (Char, Hill, &
Kirkwood, 2013). Nurses have to deal with informed consent on admission to the hospital clinic
before the surgery. Hence, this paper will discuss about the legal issues related to informed
consent from elderly patients.
The main aim of informed consent is to assure patient autonomy. Before a surgery,
informed consent process is the practical application of shared decision making between a
patient and a surgeon. The nurses as the enlightened advocates of the patients have entrusted in
fully understanding the legal and the ethical consideration of the process of informed consent
(Char, Hill, & Kirkwood, 2013).
Informed consent involves shared decision making. Shared decision making is the
foundation of a mutually respectful relationship between a health care provider and a patient.
The patient has got the legal rights for participating in the decision making process The legal
right of the patient to participate in the decision about his or her medical care is in accordance to
the regulations such as the “Patient’s Right’s condition of participation” (Sherlock & Brownie,
2014).
The principle of informed consent and autonomy might come naturally among the nurses

3
CRITIQUE OF THE ARTICLE
NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Patients often makes high stake decisions whether not to accept a lifesaving intervention,
but as per the nursing law and ethics nurses are obligated to respect and act as per the decision of
the client (Dunn, 2016). Not abiding by the patient’s wish breaks the trust between the patients
and the caregivers. Surgeons should establish and maintain an effective relationship with the
client. Before the surgery, the surgeons should have an honest and sensitive discussion with the
patients regarding their options for the treatment, leading to informed and deliberate consent.
Nurses should reflect on the feedback of the patients and about the care that had received and act
promptly and appropriately. It is essential to recognize that seeking a consent for any surgical
interventions is merely not a signing of forms but it is the process of providing information to the
patient enabling the patients to make some decision in order to undergo specific treatments
(Tipotsch-Maca et al., 2016). Consent needs to be considered infirmed decision making or
informed request. It is necessary to establish that the patient has the capacity to give consent as
per the guidelines of the Mental Capacity Act, 2005. If the patient does not have the capacity (for
example, if he is unconscious), then one should act according to the best interest of the patient.
The patient’s interest should always be kept in the first place and should act what is safe
for the patient. A professional duty of care underpins the relationship between the health care
professional and the patients (Sandman, Molander & Benkel, 2017). It is the duty of the nurses to
respect each of the person’s right to self-determination, of which the requirement for informed
consent is the key. In the end of life care, the goal should be to support the person to die
peacefully with comfort and dignity (van der Dam et al., 2016).
Nurses should possess the basic understanding about their scope of practice and their practice
standards. There are several resources that can help nurses to remain updated about the new laws
and regulations related to patient’s rights. Beneficence, autonomy, non-maleficence are the four