The legal and ethical implications of consent to nursing procedures

Abstract

Nurses are increasingly expanding their practice to include many more invasive procedures. Consequently, there is a need to re-examine nurses' responsibilities in relation to obtaining consent for nursing as opposed to medical procedures. Fully informed consent is not a legal requirement in England, for either medical or nursing procedures. However, this article argues that to comply with the standard set by the Code of Professional Conduct nurses should obtain informed consent for any proposed procedure they undertake. The concept of informed consent is examined and applied to practice. Ultimately, nurses are charged with four key tasks in relation to securing consent for nursing procedures: educating themselves about the risks and benefits of the procedures they propose to undertake; conveying this information to patients; assessing their understanding of the information given; and endeavouring to support the patient in his/her decision.