Practice Quiz

CRNE Canadian Registered Nurse

Category - Professionalism

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A forty-year-old woman arrives in the emergency room and is diagnosed with a ruptured appendix. She is febrile and seems only vaguely aware of where she is, and you are having difficulty knowing whether she understands that the surgeon has ordered she be taken to the O.R. immediately. There is no other family or next of kin with her. What should you, as the nurse, do next?
  1. Take her to the operating room as ordered.
  2. Wait until the fever medication takes effect, hoping she will be more conscious and can sign a surgical consent form.
  3. Contact the nursing supervisor for further direction.
  4. Search through her belongings to try to find a family contact number.
Explanation
Answer: A - A surgeon has the right to perform life-saving surgery, even in the event a formal consent cannot be obtained. You should take the client to the operating room immediately, as ordered; otherwise this woman would be at risk of dying from internal infection complications. Delaying the surgery in an attempt to find next of kin may cost the client her health, or even her life.
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