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lqhumpy
PICC RNs obtaining consent

I work at the VA in Gainesville,FL as the nurse manager of the IV/PICC team.  I am looking at having the PICC RNs start to obtain informed consent because I heard this is being done in other places.  I am wondering if any of you are doing this already. 

lynncrni
Yes, nurses who do the

Yes, nurses who do the procedure should be the one to educate the patient and obtain the signature on the informed consent document. Informed consent is a process that ends with the signature on a page, but that piece of paper is not the complete process. Since I began to place PICCs in 1981 in GA, nurses inserting the PICC have provided this education and obtained the signature on a piece of paper. The information out now states firmly that the professional performing the procedure is the one to obtain this signature. I know there are some states with laws that indicate informed consent can only be obtained by a physician. As the nurse performing the insertion, it remains our responsibility to provide all necessary education and document this, even if the physician is the one to get the patient to sign the paper. Lynn

Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NPD-BC, CRNI

Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.

PO Box 10

Milner, GA 30257

Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com

Office Phone 770-358-7861

Rob Burr
RN PICC consent

After a many year struggle the Providence Health System in Oregon has approved an RN obtained PICC consent. The RN placing the line is to provide the PARQ and obtain the signiture.This has been run past the State Board of Nursing and the corporate attorneys and our medical committees for approval. Prior to this our policy was that only the MD could obtain consent, which never actually happened. The down side is that it means more paperwork for us! I'll try to place our version in the downloads section.

mharman
RN's obtaining PICC consent

We have recently encountered the issue of RN's obtaining the PICC consent.  The state board of nursing for Virginia has indicated that an RN on a PICC team is not considered an independent practitioner and therefore not able to obtain consent for the PICC procedure.  Does anyone have any thoughts, comments, etc....?

Thanks

Mally Harman, RN, BSN
Vascular Access Team Coordinator
Centra Health
Lynchburg, VA
434-200-2647

lynncrni
The VA Board has decided to

The VA Board has decided to take the position that only a licensed independent practitioner (the term used by Joint Commission) is legally able to obtain informed consent. This would limit it to MD, APRN, and PA. This is contrary to other approaches which allows and even endorses and encourages the professional doing the procedure as the one to obtain the informed consent. How does the board define informed consent? Are they referrring to the complete education process or simply getting the individual to sign a piece of paper? Actually the complete process must be addressed. So the infusion nurses may have to do the education and leave it to the LIP to get the signature. Not a good process but may be what you have to deal with. As a nurse placing the catheter, I don't think you can or should abdicate the responsibility for educating the patient as the infusion nurse is the one with the appropriate knowledge to teach the patient about the PICC. Lynn

Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NPD-BC, CRNI

Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.

PO Box 10

Milner, GA 30257

Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com

Office Phone 770-358-7861

mharman
The VA Board

Lynn,

When you say VA do you mean Virginia or the Veterans Administration.  If you mean veterans, do you have any knowledge about the Virginia Board of Nursing specifically addressing this issue?

 

Thanks

 

Mally Harman, RN, BSN
Vascular Access Team Coordinator
Centra Health
Lynchburg, VA
434-200-2647

lynncrni
I was using VA for Virginia.

I was using VA for Virginia and responding to the post immediately before mine from a nurse from Virginia. Lynn

Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NPD-BC, CRNI

Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.

PO Box 10

Milner, GA 30257

Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com

Office Phone 770-358-7861

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