A 17-Year-Old Male Has Presented to the Emergency Department with Appendicitis

A 17-year-old male has presented to the emergency department with appendicitis. He speaks English, but his mother speaks Spanish. The mother needs to sign a consent for emergency surgery, because the patient is a minor. Which of the following is the most appropriate method of obtaining consent?

A) No consent is needed because of the emergency nature of the surgery.
B) Have the patient sign the consent because he understands the explanation from the surgeon.
C) Have the patient's sister explain the procedure in Spanish, but ask the mother to sign the Spanish consent form.
D) Obtain an interpreter to explain the procedure to the patient and mother in Spanish, and ask her to sign a Spanish consent form.

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