This assignment will discuss consent and how it influences nursing practice in my area of study, which is adult nursing. According to the Nursing and Midwifery Council Code of Conduct (NMC, 2008), states that healthcare professionals must presumed patients to have the mental capacity to accept or refuse treatment after being given information on their treatment. However there may be instances where healthcare professionals will treat patients without their consent, for example in an emergency situation where the patient is unconscious and lack of the mental capacity to make an informed choice. Treatment in this situation can be given in the patient’s best interest. The assignment will define what meant by consent and highlight its importance to the nursing profession. Furthermore, it will draw comparisons and highlight the differences between the adult and mental health nursing fields. Issues of culture and diversity will be address.

Definition of consent

Consent can be defined as the process in which a healthcare professional gives his/her patient correct and truthful information about their treatment and allowing them to make an informed decision without any convincing or fraud (Dimond, 2009). Consent is respecting individual moral and legal rights by giving them independence and freedom to choose what they want (Thomson, 2010). The Royal College of Nursing(RCN) states that, it is essential to good practice that every patients have the right to access information about their condition and the information must be simple and easy to understand and also this information should be correct and honest (RCN, 2013). Department of Health (DH, 2001) defined consent as allowing a competent person to make a decision on their treatment without any pressure or guidance from health professionals, friends, and families, when they have received enough information to make such decision.