The need to obtain written informed consent for invasive nursing procedures with a view of Bulgarian legislation

Abstract

INTRODUCTION : The study on the need to obtain written informed consent for invasive nursing procedures has important scientific and practical importance in meeting the patients‘ rights and achieving professional nursing security. AIM : To examine the need to obtain written informed consent for invasive nursing manipulations with a view to the current Bulgarian legislation. MATERIALS AND METHODS : We have conducted an analysis of the literature and used a documentary method (due diligence). The legal regulation of public relations was analyzed and was linked to the nurse`s par­ticipation in the process of obtaining informed consent from the patient and in particular to the need to obtain written informed consent for invasive nursing procedures. The study is part of a complex, targeted and thor­ough study of the possibilities to optimize the participation of nurses in the process of obtaining informed con­sent from patients, conducted in the period January 2008 - September 2015. RESULTS : As result of the legal analysis of the primary and secondary legislation of the Republic of Bulgaria on the researched problem, it was found that an essential part of the medical activities performed by the nurses belong to the so-called invasive methods. At the same time the law requires informing and obtaining consent for the aforementioned medical activities to be carried out in writing. Moreover, it is a condition regarding the reality and validity of the consent. In this case, we performed a detailed analysis on issues concerning the indi­vidual that is obliged to provide the consent when performing the invasive procedures that are written above. CONCLUSIONS : Based on a thorough analysis of the primary and secondary legislation of the Republic of Bulgaria and also an analysis of the available scientific literature on the issue, the conclusion is that not the doctor, but the nurse is the one to inform and to obtain written consent from the patient before performing the invasive procedures for which the nurse is responsible.