A nurse is caring for a client who is about to undergo an elective surgical procedure. The nurse should take which of the following actions regarding informed consent? (Select all that apply)

The nurse's role in informed consent is specific and legally defined: the nurse witnesses the client's signature on the consent form and verifies that the surgeon has already obtained the client's informed consent. These are the two actions that fall within the nurse's scope. Informed consent is a physician or surgeon's legal and ethical responsibility — it is the provider performing the procedure who must explain the procedure's nature, its risks and benefits, the available alternatives, and the consequences of refusing treatment. The nurse does not independently describe consequences of refusing surgery, explain procedure risks and benefits, or inform the client about alternatives, because doing so would mean the nurse is obtaining informed consent, which is outside the nurse's role. If a nurse does perform these explanatory actions, they are essentially obtaining consent on the physician's behalf, which is impermissible and may invalidate the consent. Witnessing the signature serves as documentation that the client signed voluntarily and appeared competent at the time. Verifying that the surgeon obtained consent before proceeding with care ensures patient safety and upholds the legal requirement for valid informed consent prior to any elective procedure. The nurse should also notify the surgeon if a client has questions or doubts, rather than attempting to answer clinical questions about the procedure itself.