Informed Consent and Capacity

Informed consent is permission for a specific intervention. Capacity is the client’s ability to make that particular decision. They are related, but they are not the same question. A client may have capacity and still refuse recommended care. The refusal may seem unwise, but a capable adult is allowed to choose an option others would not choose. Conversely, a client may sign a form without understanding what it authorizes. The signature does not make the consent valid. For a nursing intervention within the practical nurse’s autonomous scope of practice, the RPN is responsible for ensuring that consent is: - Informed: the client has relevant information about the proposed intervention, its purpose, expected benefits, significant risks, alternatives, and the option of no treatment. - Voluntary: the decision is made without threats, coercion, or inappropriate pressure. - Specific: the permission relates to the intervention being proposed, rather than to a vague or unlimited agreement to “treatment.” Consent is a process, not a piece of paper. A signed form is better understood as a record of the process, not proof that the process...