Parents!
Their parents!!!
When there is a bad outcome. It becomes hard on the nurse to separate themselves from the child. It is hard enough to tell a family that their 80 or 90 yr old parent or grandparent is dying. Imagine being in the room when the family learns their child has a terminal illness. There is no comfort to be provided, no words that will help. I have experienced this from both sides and it is horrible for all involved. Then you as the nurse have to go to the next room, pretend that you weren't just crying or feel like you have been kicked in the gut. You need to smile and care for that next patient while your distracted thinking about the one in that room and their family.
I work with teenagers. It’s so annoying being able to explain medications to someone old enough to know more or less what I’m talking about and why they need it (at 15-17 years, they’ve had high school biology and health), but still be required to call their parents at home and explain every single medication and intervention to get consent.
So, while consent is absolutely necessary, having the legal red tape is often a huge pain for all parties involved. I can’t give a new PRN sometimes without calling at 11pm and waking somebody up who is already stressed about their child being in the hospital for a week.
