ical procedure will be asked to sign a consent form (Brahams, 1993, p. 361). This form includes typically includes permission for the surgeon to perform additional procedures "as the surgeon thinks necessary" based upon conditions that may be discovered during the surgery (p. 361). At issue is whether such a catch-all phrase can actually convey informed consent. One choice is to delay any additional surgical procedures in such cases, thereby exposing the patient to additional risks and inconvenience. Such a choice, however, avoids "the devastating effects on patients presented with an unwanted fait accompli" (p. 361). Many surgeons argue that informed consent should be sacrificed in the name of expediency. Such an approach appears to be defensible, however, only in cases of "genuine emergency that brooks no delay and provides little opportunity for preoperative discussions" (p. 361). The rights of the surgical patient frequently are overlooked when decisions are made within the operating room in relation to the performance of further surgical procedures.
Physician-Nurse Dichotomies Related to Patient Informed Consent
The perioperative nurse "has a moral responsibility to the patient . . . based on the patient's rights as a person" (Keffer & Keffer, 1994, p. 449). Congruent partic
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