No problem.

Medical providers hate HIPPA because they have to be very careful about what they say to people so they maintain the patient's right to privacy. Imagine trying to obtain medical information about a patient from a family member or someone else that would know. Theoretically, you can only listen and not explain why you need to know.

"Informed consent" goes out the window in many cases. When a delay in medical treatment can cause harm to the patient, informed consent is often waived.

In some cases it becomes a very difficult situation when the patient is incapacitated or incapable of understanding. Sometimes it becomes a legal decision by a judge. Medical treatment can be court ordered by a judge that doesn't know the patient or anything about the medical treatment being rendered.

All of this is why the durable power of health care and advance directives are so important. These legal documents provide some protection from unwanted medical treatments. In more cases than not it is health care providers trying to protect patients from harming themselves.

Even most doctors don't attempt to treat themselves most of the time. Patients come in and demand treatment they read about on the internet. Some doctors will cave in to the patient's demands even though the treatment makes no sense or there is no medical justification.

My situation was challenging sometimes. I was a nurse who understood things but I still didn't know what to do most of the time. My doctors knew I was a nurse and assumed I knew more than I did.

As a nurse, I was often asked to witness the signing of informed consent documents. I would only be the witness that patients were informed and that they consented. I couldn't guarantee the patient understood the information that was provided to them.