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Chapter One
Consent for obstetric analgesia and anesthesia
M. Joanne Douglas
Background
Informed consent is based on the ethical principle of
autonomy and has several components. The requirements
for informed consent are that:
1 it must be given voluntarily;
2 the patient must have the capacity (ability) to
understand the information that is presented;
3 the consent must be specific to the person doing the
procedure and to the procedure;
4 the risks and benefits of the procedure must be
explained and understood; and
5 all questions must be answered.
In addition, the individual should have time to consider
the information that is presented, although for
the woman in pain that often is a short interval.
The obstetric anesthesiologist often faces a dilemma
in obtaining informed consent for neuraxial analgesia/
anesthesia in the laboring parturient. Many anesthesiologists
consider it impossible to obtain informed consent
from a woman who is in pain, and in particular if
she has received an opioid, such as meperidine.
Some wom ... read full excerpt from Evidence-Based Obstetric Anesthesia ebook
