A recent immigrant who does not speak English is alert and ...

[MGLQZ]

A recent immigrant who does not speak English is alert and requires hospitalization. What is the initial action that the nurse must take to enable informed consent to be obtained?
 
  a. Ask a family member to translate what the nurse is saying.
  b. Request an official interpreter to explain the terms of consent.
  c. Notify the nursing manager that the patient doesn't speak English.
  d. Use hand gestures and medical equipment while explaining in English.

Question 2

An obstetric nurse comes across an automobile accident. The driver seems to have a crushed upper airway, and while waiting for emergency medical services to arrive, the nurse makes a cut in the trachea and inserts a straw from a purse to provide an airway
 
  The patient survives and has a permanent problem with vocal cords, making it difficult to talk. Which statement is true regarding the nurse's performance?
  a. The nurse acted appropriately and saved the patient's life.
  b. The nurse stayed within the guidelines of the Good Samaritan Law.
  c. The nurse took actions beyond those that are standard and appropriate.
  d. The nurse should have just stayed with the patient and waited for help.

[polinasid]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: B
An official interpreter must be present to explain the terms of consent if a patient speaks only a foreign language. A family member or acquaintance who speaks a patient's language should not interpret health information. Family members can tell those caring for the patient what the patient is saying, but privacy regarding the patient's condition, assessment, etc., must be protected. A nurse can take care of requesting an interpreter, and the nurse manager is not needed. Using hand gestures and medical equipment is inappropriate when communicating with a patient who does not understand the language spoken. Certain hand gestures may be acceptable in one culture and not appropriate in another. The medical equipment may be unknown and frightening to the patient, and the patient still doesn't understand what is being said.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: C
An obstetric nurse would not have been trained in performing a tracheostomy (cut in the trachea), and doing so would be beyond what the nurse has been trained or educated to do. If you perform a procedure exceeding your scope of practice and for which you have no training, you are liable for injury that may result from that act. You should only provide care that is consistent with your level of expertise. The nurse did not act appropriately. The nurse is not protected by the Good Samaritan Law because the nurse acted outside the scope of practice and training. The nurse should have acted within what was trained and educated to do in this circumstance, not just stay with the patient.

[MGLQZ]

Thanks for the timely response, appreciate it

[gcook]

Great answer, keep it coming