The nurse understands the following about informing and obtaining consent for an 8-year-old patient who is undergoing a heart transplant:
Explanation
•Any child who is in the concrete operations stage of development must give assent, not consent. (This is usually any child over 7 years of age)
•Assent means having knowledge of the surgery and agreement with the parent or other person giving consent. The child does not need to sign anything.