Leadershippreassessment

The surgeon is responsible for obtaining informed consent from the patient before a surgical procedure. The surgeon must explain the procedure, risks, benefits, and alternatives to ensure the patient fully understands and agrees to the surgery. The nurse’s role is to witness the consent and ensure the patient has no further questions. However, it is the surgeon who must obtain the legal and ethical consent.

When a patient expresses hopelessness, the nurse should allow open discussion and encourage the patient to share their thoughts. This fosters emotional support and therapeutic communication. Providing false reassurance or avoiding the concern can make the patient feel dismissed. Open-ended questions help the patient process their emotions and find coping mechanisms.

Assessing vital signs is a priority action during an initial admission assessment to determine the patient’s stability. Vital signs provide critical information about circulatory, respiratory, and neurological status. While medical history and allergy documentation are important, they do not take precedence over ensuring the patient is stable. Administering medications should only occur after a full assessment.

Nurses must follow HIPAA guidelines and protect patient confidentiality. If someone inquires about a patient’s condition, the nurse should politely explain that patient information is confidential and cannot be shared without proper authorization. Providing patient information without consent is a violation of privacy laws. Ignoring the question or belittling the messenger is not professional communication.

Patient advocacy means ensuring that the patient understands their medications and feels empowered to ask questions. Administering medication without explanation or consent is not ethical. Encouraging the patient to ask questions promotes informed decision-making and ensures safe medication administration.

The nurse's role is to facilitate communication between the patient and the provider. The nurse should not ignore the question or provide surgical details beyond their scope. Directing the patient to discuss alternatives with the surgeon ensures that the patient makes an informed decision. It also aligns with patient rights and ethical nursing practice.

Confidentiality has limits, especially when a patient expresses intent to harm others. The nurse has a duty to warn and must report the information to the healthcare team. Promising confidentiality in this situation is inappropriate and unethical. The proper course of action is to involve mental health professionals and the care team for intervention

A healthcare proxy is a person chosen by the patient to make medical decisions if the patient is unable to do so. The nurse should clarify that the proxy can be anyone the patient trusts, not necessarily a family member. The decision is not permanent and can be changed at any time. Providing accurate information empowers patients to make informed decisions.

Auscultation should be done before palpation during an abdominal assessment because palpation can alter bowel sounds. The standard order for an abdominal exam is Inspection → Auscultation → Percussion → Palpation. If the nurse palpates first, it may give false findings due to peristalsis stimulation. Listening to bowel sounds first ensures an accurate assessment of gastrointestinal activity.