A physician asks a nurse to witness a consent form the patient has already signed, even though the nurse did not see the patient sign the form.The best action by the nurse is to:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The nurse is witnessing that the signature on the consent form is the patient's.The nurse can show the document to the patient, verify that the signature is authentic, and then sign as a witness to the signature.The nurse does not have to witness the provider obtaining the signature for informed consent.The consent can be witnessed retroactively because the nurse is only verifying that the signature is the patient's.This phrase could be included if the nurse had actually witnessed the physician (or other provider)providing the information needed for consent and the patient signing the form.However, in this case, the nurse did not actually witness those actions.

A Physician Asks a Nurse to Witness a Consent Form