Who is responsible for obtaining consent for specific medical and surgical treatments?

• A. The MD
• B. The nurse
• C. The patient
• D. The administrator

Answer: (A)

Informed consent is a physician-driven process. The physician is responsible for explaining the proposed medical or surgical treatment, including its purpose, benefits, risks, and alternatives, and for assessing the patient’s understanding and capacity to decide. Only after this discussion does the physician obtain the patient’s voluntary agreement and document it.

Nurses can provide information, answer questions within their scope, and witness signatures, but they do not bear the primary duty to obtain consent. The patient is the one who agrees or declines, but the responsibility to request and verify informed consent rests with the physician. Administrators handle policies and paperwork, not the clinical consent decision.