Legal Responsibilities in Nursing: Implied Consent

As a nurse, you are responsible for the legal aspects of patient care. This includes understanding the implications of patient consent for treatment. In a situation where a client is unable to provide informed consent due to cognitive impairment and has no legal representative available, it is crucial to determine the appropriate action to take. In such scenarios, the nurse must rely on the principle of

_________ . This principle allows the nurse to make decisions in the best interests of the patient, especially when they cannot advocate for themselves.