Why can only doctors confirm deaths?

A nurse can surely confirm a patient is dead after 3 years of training. They can do all the checks a doctor does. It doesn't make any sense how a junior doctor can sign off a death certificate but a nurse can't?

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Reply 1

username4222532

A nurse cant right out a perscription

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

Original post by laughinglad999

A nurse cant right out a perscription

They can take prescribing courses i think.

They should receive training in it. It would save a lot of time and doctors and save unnecessary time waiting for doctors. Can't an ECG and a torch in the eye show if a patient is dead or alive. Oh yeah I understand if a patient is in a coma.

Reply 3

Bexjw

Original post by Anonymous

They should receive training in it. It would save a lot of time and doctors and save unnecessary time waiting for doctors. Can't an ECG and a torch in the eye show if a patient is dead or alive. Oh yeah I understand if a patient is in a coma.

Oh my days. 😳

Reply 4

Anonymous #1

Original post by Bexjw

Oh my days. 😳

That's normally a few of the tests done. By no means the only thing used to identify someone as dead.

Reply 5

Anonymous #1

Original post by Bexjw

Oh my days. 😳

No need to be rude either. I'm talking from personal experience where I saw doctors do an ecg number of different tests that a nurse could do and then confirmed death. This would be different to patients who were in a coma etc.

Reply 6

Anonymous #1

I wasn't talking about confirming the death takes long. I meant waiting for the doctor to come and confirm the death takes long as they have a lot of other jobs to do. I agree they should be able to take bloods as well.

What proportion of the medical degree is diagnosing death I would think a small part or is it more part of holistic care.

I'm sorry if I sound naive :-(

Reply 7

TheMandalorian

Is it possible for people to come back to life when in a morgue?

Reply 8

Anonymous #1

Thank you so so much. I understand it a lot more now. Yeah nurses should be taught how to take blood, it would free up a lot more of the doctors time.I appreciate you taking the time out to inform me and I wish you well ❤️

Reply 9

FRS500

Original post by laughinglad999

A nurse cant right out a perscription

Now they can! Nurse Prescribers are a thing now.

They have their own BNF. Helpfully called the NPF now!

Original post by Bexjw

Oh my days. 😳

hahahahahahahaha

Original post by Anonymous

Can't an ECG and a torch in the eye show if a patient is dead or alive.

Mate... this is a hospital, not Kwik Fit.

Shine a torch and hook up to a machine. Yikes

Reply 10

Bexjw

Original post by FRS500

Mate... this is a hospital, not Kwik Fit.

Shine a torch and hook up to a machine. Yikes

Not gonna’ lie, that proper cracked me up! 😂

Reply 11

Anonymous #1

Original post by FRS500

Now they can! Nurse Prescribers are a thing now.

They have their own BNF. Helpfully called the NPF now!

hahahahahahahaha

Mate... this is a hospital, not Kwik Fit.

Shine a torch and hook up to a machine. Yikes

That's two of the many tests doctors do when confirming the death of a patient. Instead of sniggering you can provide some useful input or go.

Original post by Bexjw

Not gonna’ lie, that proper cracked me up! 😂

But couldn't reply to my comment above. Nice to know.

Reply 12

Bexjw

Original post by Anonymous

But couldn't reply to my comment above. Nice to know.

You quoted me twice looking for an argument and saying I was rude, so forgive me for not wanting to engage further.

Reply 13

Anonymous #1

Original post by Bexjw

You quoted me twice looking for an argument and saying I was rude, so forgive me for not wanting to engage further.

Because you were rude. I'm a student looking for advice and instead of giving it you laugh and then communicate with other users on this site to further mock me. If I'm not mistake that's not constructive.
Shows ecolier is a medical doctor who actually wants to help people on this site compared to you.

Reply 14

Sabertooth

Really? Only doctors take blood in the UK?? That's crazy.

Reply 15

Bexjw

Original post by Anonymous

All I said was oh my days, you, yourself even further expanded stating you realised it wasn’t as simplistic as you’d first stated. It wasn’t intended to be rude, it was my interpretation of your post. I’m sorry you felt that way. I then found another users response funny, I never mocked you in it or made any reference to you at all. I also never claimed to be a medical doctor or gave any advice on the matter when I don’t fully have the advice to give.

Whilst I appreciate that you’re trying to learn and broaden your knowledge, again singling me out and attacking me isn’t the way to do it. Are you going to give @FRS500 the same same posts you’ve given me?

Reply 16

Bexjw

Original post by Sabertooth

Really? Only doctors take blood in the UK?? That's crazy.

Some of our nurses (which is uncommon)/ HCAs (dependant on ward/role) are trained but largely it’s the doctor that has to take them, which I always find unusual.

Reply 17

Anonymous #1

Original post by Bexjw

"I'm sorry you felt that way" isn't genuine. What you said wasn't constructive and I felt you were mocking me initially which I addressed and then without replying to that you come back to say you laughed at it with another user. This is unnecessary and I don't want to take it any further as it received the answer to my question by someone who wanted to help. I did address him in the same post I addressed you.