The critical care nurse wants a better understanding of when to initiate an ethics consult.After attending an educational program,the nurse understands that the following situation would require an ethics consultation:

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In the case of a seriously ill patient who is incapacitated and does not have a surrogate,an ethics consultation is warranted.While care does not have to be provided in the case of futility,disagreements may lead to the need for a consult to resolve the dilemma.The conflict has been resolved in the case of the family and physician agreeing on a course of treatment for 24 hours followed by reevaluation.Although family members disagree,if a patient has a written advance directive and a designated health care proxy,an ethics consultation is unwarranted; the patient's wishes are clearly known.The cardiac surgery patient has a written directive to guide his treatment.

The Critical Care Nurse Wants a Better Understanding of When