Emergency Consent Example
Let’s take a quick look at this example.
A nurse from Great Hope Hospital states that the individual under guardianship is there for an emergency surgery, and they need your consent. You inquire what the procedure is, and they state that the individual needs to have a portion of their intestines removed due to an obstruction. You know organ removal requires OLS involvement and court approval. But since the physician states that this is an emergent procedure, your next step should be to send the physician:
a.) The Physicians Affidavit of Emergency Need
b.) The Physicians Request for Consent requiring Court Approval
c.) Send nothing, it’s an emergency, you can just give consent
Answer
A.) The Physicians Affidavit for Emergency Need
By completing this form, the physician is stating that it is their professional opinion that this procedure is necessary to be performed within 24 hours in order to preserve the individual’s life or to prevent serious impairment of the individual’s physical health.
Once you receive the completed form from the physician, you can consult with your supervisor for consent.