In line with the Royal College of Midwives’ second highest research priority, MIDIRS free Search Pack of the Month for November is ‘Informed Consent’.
In May, the RCM announced their top ten research priorities following the 16-month Research Prioritisation Project which gathered the perspectives of UK-based midwives, student midwives and maternity support workers.
We are spotlighting these priorities as part of MIDIRS Search Pack of the Month series, which aims to disseminate relevant, topical and underrepresented research to maternity professionals. Our July Search Pack of the Month, “Culturally Sensitive Maternity Care”, highlighted the number one research priority outlined within the project:
“What is required to create and implement culturally safe maternity care in the UK for women and birthing parents, and their babies, and staff from the global ethnic majority? What role does decolonisation of the midwifery curriculum and ongoing learning in clinical settings play in improving cultural competence and safety?”
This month, we are turning our attention to the second highest priority:
“What are the appropriate reasons for induction of labour? What are the short and long term maternal and baby outcomes associated with it? How should this be communicated to women and birthing parents and their informed consent gained?”.
MIDIRS has various Search Packs on the topic of induction of labour, including ‘L14 Prostaglandins for induction of labour / cervical ripening’ and ‘L24 Induction of labour / cervical ripening’ which contain a wealth of information on the topic. For our Search Pack of the Month, however, we are focusing on the final sentence of the priority by releasing ‘MS15 Informed Consent’.
It is integral that women are provided with expertise, support and facts, so that they fully understand the care that they agree to receive. Our Search Pack is a great place to learn, inform, and share research on this vital topic. The pack includes a comprehensive bibliographic list of literature compiling evidence and research on the topic of informed consent, including legal and ethical processes and the role of the midwife in informing and upholding consent.
Access November’s free Search Pack below, and if you would like to access even more resources, a MIDIRS subscription allows full access to the MIC database.
Take a look back at articles discussing informed consent that have featured in past editions of MIDIRS Midwifery Digest:
‘Choice, informed consent and risk-managing women’s care choices in the absence of midwifery supervision: the Birth Choice Clinic.’ Ellie Sonmezer (September 2017)
Women with ‘low-risk’ pregnancies are largely encouraged through research and national policy to deliver in midwifery-led units or at home; however, the majority continue to attend consultant- led hospital settings. Much research exists to support midwives in facilitating informed choice but it has been identified that midwives are often influenced by internal and external factors when providing this and that time constraints can hinder the process. Supervisors of midwives (SoM) provide a complex care planning service to women. However, with SoM removed from statute and the new Advocating for Education and Quality Improvement (A-EQUIP) model not yet widely operational, a ‘gap’ area has been identified as a potential concern. This ‘gap’ is complex care planning with women. In response to national changes, an alternative approach at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundations Trust to SoM providing complex care planning is the Birth Choice Clinic.
‘Caught between autonomy and caring: still struggling towards an ethics of midwifery.’ Barbara Katz Rothman (June 2013)
Barbara Katz Rothman’s thought- provoking article on autonomy and the struggle midwives face in achieving this whilst also providing genuine care. The author questions the meaning of caring, and partnership and shared decision making within a system that is stretched to its limits, and where fragmented care is the norm.
To read these papers in full, plus hundreds more midwifery-related articles, subscribe to MIDIRS and access our full MIC database, as well as our quarterly Digest.
