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» What is Informed Consent?
Informed consent = making an
educated choice based on full disclosure of the facts, risks and
benefits, without coercion. You have the right to give informed
consent for all procedures and interventions, no matter how minor.
For more information about
your rights as a pregnant woman, please visit:
www.maternitywise.org
www.motherfriendly.org
"Informed consent is more than
simply getting a patient to sign a written consent form. It is a
process of communication between a patient and physician that results
in the patient's authorization or agreement to undergo a specific
medical intervention..."
-
American Medical Association
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»Informed Consent Questions for
Childbirth
- Is this an emergency, or
do we have time to talk?
- What would be the
benefits of doing this? The risks?
- Is the mother okay? Is
the baby okay?
- If we do this, what
other procedures or treatments might we end up needing as a result?
- What else could we try
first or instead?
- Is there a more natural
way to do this?
- What would happen if we
waited an hour or two (a day or two, a week or two, etc.) before
doing it?
- What would happen if we
didn't do it at all?
- What are my legal
rights/options?
- Can I have a second
opinion?
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»Informed Consent Wallet Card
These questions are available
free of charge on a business card to any pregnant woman who would like
one. Have it with you at all medical appointments and at your
birth place to help prompt you if necessary.
Please
email us with your name, address &
due date and I will mail one out to you right away.
If you are a childbirth
educator or other healthcare professional, please feel free to print
and distribute these questions to all of your students. If you would
like me to send you some pre-printed cards, please email me with your
name, company, address, and requested number of cards.
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