{"id":132755,"date":"2023-07-31T04:51:44","date_gmt":"2023-07-30T18:51:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/?p=132755"},"modified":"2023-07-31T04:51:44","modified_gmt":"2023-07-30T18:51:44","slug":"what-is-informed-consent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/what-is-informed-consent\/","title":{"rendered":"What is informed consent?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
What is informed consent?\u00a0<\/b><\/h5>\n

\"What<\/a>What is INFORMED consent and why does it matter?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start by breaking this down. There are 2 important components to informed consent:<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. To be <\/span>informed,<\/span> the benefits <\/span>and <\/span><\/i>risks of any proposed medical decision must be fully explained to you and understood by you; <\/span>AND<\/b>,<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. To be freely granted, <\/span>consent<\/span> needs to be genuine and not from a place of feeling pressured.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In practice, one or both of these components are not routinely sought by all medical practitioners.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Have you heard, either directly or through the story of another, the phrases \u201cWe will X\u201d or \u201cIt is our policy to X\u201d?<\/span><\/p>\n

    At my first appointment with my obstetrician, I was told \u201cyou have gestational diabetes so you <\/span>will <\/span><\/i>have a pre-term induction as it is our policy\u201d. The risks were not explained, and I was not asked, just told, what would happen.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Have you felt like you couldn\u2019t say no to your practitioner?<\/span><\/p>\n

    I initially felt like I couldn\u2019t disagree with the proposed induction because it was never phrased as a question, I didn\u2019t come from a medical background and I was a first-time mum without experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

    So why does informed <\/i>consent matter?<\/strong><\/h6>\n

    You have the right to make informed decisions for yourself and your baby.<\/span><\/p>\n

    If you are in a position where you do not understand a proposed intervention, are not fully aware of the risks present and\/or feel uncomfortable proceeding, you have the right to ask your medical practitioners for more information and\/or to refuse that intervention.<\/span><\/p>\n

    It can be hard to say no when the question isn\u2019t asked; when instead you are told \u201cX is hospital policy.\u201d However, policy is not the same as law. You are not legally obliged to follow hospital policies. Your practitioners, however, must obtain your informed consent.<\/span><\/p>\n

    So what should you do if you are faced with a situation like I was?<\/strong><\/h6>\n
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    1. Get informed with the BRAIN approach<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Ask your practitioners to explain the:<\/span><\/p>\n