Posts Tagged ‘informed consent’

July 8th, 2010

The Problem With Blanket Consent Forms

A small debate started with a woman by the name of Kristin who is a labor and delivery nurse, it is regarding IV’s and blanket consent forms. She was offended by a statement I made in my post about IV’s allowing nurses, and providers having access to giving birthing mothers pitocin, or other medications without their full consent for the medication. Which sadly is legal because of the blanket consent for treatment forms women sign when they are admitted into the hospital.

Sounds backwards right? You sign a consent from before anyone in the facility even touches you, and then when the time comes for treatment they do what they want or feel is needed. Sometimes without the consent of the patient, which is the example that I was using in my post.

I started to think about this more, and realized how not only outdated, but problematic these blanket consent forms can be, especially in a labor and delivery setting. I understand there are Good OB’s and hospital staff out there, but unfortunately for the women giving birth in the United States, and all over the world, this just isn’t the case all over. There are bad hospital staff, and OB’s, there are bad midwives and doulas, but the problem is the hospital staff, bad or not can leave a lasting impact on a woman through her birth.

Just like your wedding day, the day your child is born is a day you will never forget. Amy Gates made a great post about this last week and comparing how much research and time people put into a wedding vs. figuring out the kid of birth they would like, and what they want for their experience.

But it all goes back to this simple consent form women are signing before they are treated. Don’t sign this blanket consent? They will not treat you… off to another hospital or back home for you. There is just no way around it. Many of these forms are in place for liability reasons. You sign it and you have consented to your treatment in that hospital, no matter what they do to you.

Unwanted vaginal exams? They are A. OK!
Didn’t sign a consent for that c-section? Yes you did! (This is what happened to me with my oldest son. I was rolled off to the Operating room, no consent signed, and when I looked into it after the fact, I was told the blanket consent form I signed at admission was a consent for that cesarean. Bullshit if you ask me!)
Don’t want pitocin? Don’t matter what you want, your OB orders it, and you are getting it, and the kicker is you consented to it!

This is not what real informed consent looks like, this is shady, and backwards. This is violating women daily all over the country.
No, this is not happening EVERYWHERE but ignoring the fact that it is happening is like sticking your fingers in your ears and saying “Na Na Na Na Na” like a 4 year old.

I say? Out with the blanket consents and in with more options for real informed consent for our birthing women. This is what we need to prevent more birth trauma, abuse of birthing women, and help promote the births mothers want, not what the hospital one-size-fits-all conveyor belt births are designed for.

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tags: birth, blanket consent, c-sections, cesareans, consent, hospitals, informed consent, L&D, labor and delivery, nurses, OB's
category: Uncategorized

March 11th, 2010

Joy Szabo, NIH, & What Wasn’t Addressed

Last night I was lucky enough to have a 45 minute slot with Joy Szabo on my radio show. I was certain people would call in with questions to ask her about her experience, but it seemed as though the National Institute of Health VBAC Conference has really been overshadowing the whole week, especially in the birth and activism community who happen to be the main readers of my blog!
So half way through the show, when I realized that no one was calling in with questions for Joy, after talking about her story, feelings, and experience, we turned the table over to the final draft letter from the NIH panel.

That is when the show started to pick up, because people are MAD! No matter how many times the same topic was brought up, it was left out not only in the draft letter, but in essentially their revised draft. While we do not know if it will make it into the final statement, most of us are not optimistic.
The topic? Women being able to make their own choices, and say NO to their provider, repeat surgery, and NOT have to go through any type of legal recourse or court ordered intervention like we are we are slowly starting to see in our country.

It was brought up yesterday morning during the time in where the audience was able to make comments, suggestions, and ask questions, but again brought up during the Press Conference by Susan Jenkin’s from The Big Push for Midwives. During the press conference panel members continued to dodge the question, and comments once again.

Now most of us went into this whole week not expecting much from the conference because many of us have been down this road, and knew that change is often not something that comes about, but after the first couple speakers, slides which included pictures of the ICAN logo and the banner from The Unnecesaean, many of us were smiling ear to ear hoping, and praying this would really be the step we needed. By day 3 it turned clear that it would not be what many of us would have liked to happen.

The one positive I find that came from this was the final suggestion for ACOG to revisit and revise their statement including immediate terminology, to something that is much more realistic in our medical community today.

We got a little carried away in the show last night, and went over our time limit, but I wanted to again thank those who did come on the show, speak, and bring a great discussion. Joy Szabo for bringing the issue of VBAC Bans into the mainstream media, Traci Perg for being so passionate, outspoken, and bringing up amazing points about modern day feminists, as well as pro choice supporters, Lauren Cooper, current Chapter Director for ICAN and her reflections on the conference. Lauren is a good friend of mine, as well as a great mentor, and she will be coming back on in April for one of the radio shows focusing on Cesarean Awareness Month, and last but certainly not least, Sarah from Salisbury Connecticut, a local doula, friend and advocate in my community.

Tell everyone what you think about the panel’s statement and leave a comment!

PS! Please, please please! If you have had a cesarean section, take our Post Cesarean Feelings Survey, it will ONLY be available till Monday March 15th, and we are trying to hit between 1000 and 1500 mothers! Pass it along on Facebook, to your friend, family, or clients!
Post Cesarean Feelings

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