In emergency situations, consent may be waived if delaying treatment would cause harm.

• A. Never
• B. True
• C. Only for non-invasive treatments
• D. False

Answer: (B)

In emergencies, when a patient cannot give informed consent and delaying care could lead to serious harm, treatment may proceed under implied consent. This reflects the ethical obligation to act to prevent harm (beneficence) and avoid harm (nonmaleficence), and it is supported by legal and professional guidelines that allow clinicians to treat urgent conditions without explicit consent if delaying would worsen the outcome. The care provided should be appropriate to the condition and proportionate to the urgency, and once the patient regains capacity, they should be informed and involved in any further decisions. If a patient can communicate a clear refusal or has an advance directive, those wishes take precedence.

So the statement is true: consent may be waived in emergency situations when delaying treatment would cause harm.