Informed consent in theatre

Introduction

Listening to women’s voices, stories and experiences are vitally important as midwives. It offers a unique opportunity to glean what works well and what does not work well. This study sheet draws upon a reflective piece written by a doula as she considers the support she provides to families, but crucially she draws upon her own experience of caesarean birth. She found that consenting to a caesarean birth meant she was inadvertently consenting to procedures she was not fully aware of. Lots of key information was omitted during the discussions; which for maternity professionals, the details of a caesarean birth are ‘everyday knowledge’, implicit, and often take for granted. Here, we are challenged to reconsider how we communicate information so that informed consent is truly informed.

Learning aims and objectives

The aim of this study sheet is to focus on the knowledge needed to appropriately and ethically gain informed consent in theatre. By the end of this article review study sheet you be able to:

– Articulate the concerns the woman has raised
– Outline the omitted information regarding the caesarean section
– Identify how midwives can minimise the harm of poor information giving

Keywords

informed consent, woman-centred care, compassion, information

Curriculum quality standards

ICM Category 1; General Competencies

Lancet Series; Evidence informed framework for maternal and newborn care; evidenced based midwifery