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NURSE TO NURSE
I'm a public health nurse planning to provide a hepatitis B immunization program to students in grade six classes. I'm worried about the issue of consent for the immunizations. How can I ensure that consent has been properly obtained prior to immunizing students?
Consent to health care is the final step in the process of informed decision-- making. Informed consent is the primary means of protecting individuals' rights to manage their own health care. This right is derived from the fundamental principle that individuals are entitled to make their own health care decisions. Registered nurses are obliged to assist clients to understand the nature of their health care problem and assist them in receiving the information and support they need to make informed decisions. Registered nurses are also obliged to ensure that clients understand the implications of the decisions they are being asked to make.
To ensure that consent has been properly obtained, registered nurses are guided by legislation, policies and procedures of the organization in which they work, and the Registered Nurses Association of British Columbia (RNABC) Standards for Nursing Practice in British Columbia, which includes the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses.
Standard 1, Indicator 2 in the Standards for Nursing Practice in British Columbia states that nurses function within the legally recognized scope of practice of nursing and within all relevant legislation. Registered nurses are also guided by the Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses with regard to consent...