A women brings her 5 year-old nephew to you for evaluation of a wart. You feel there are 2 therapeutic options; treat the wart w
ith over-the-counter topical medications, or an office procedure involving numbing the area with a local anesthetic, shaving the wart with a scalpel, then freezing the base with liquid nitrogen. The child seems agreeable to the office procedure. Which of the following approaches is most appropriate?a. Ask the child if he agrees with the office procedure, and if so, proceedb. Ask the aunt if she agrees with the procedure, and if so, proceedc. Verify if the aunt has the right to consent for the child, then proceed accordinglyd. Refuse to even listen or speak to the child and aunt since the parent isn't present
Verify if the aunt has the right to consent for the child, then proceed.
Explanation:
It is very important to know if the aunt has the consent of the child's parents to make a medical decision. This is because the child is a minor and cannot make a decision about whether or not to accept the procedure. Then a responsible adult of the child must sign documents that make clear the knowledge of the implications of the procedure.
