Being able to make informed decisions throughout your pregnancy, childbirth, and beyond is one of the most important skills you will need to develop in order to receive the very best care. Your healthcare is a partnership between you and your care provider. An easy acronym to help you remember which questions to ask before any proposed intervention is BRAIN.
B– What are the BENEFITS for the intervention?
R– What are the RISKS of the intervention?
A– Are there any ALTERNATIVES?
I– What is my INTUITION telling me?
N– What if we do NOTHING? OR We NEED TIME to discuss.
Additional Reading and Study:
Use your BRAIN for informed decision making
Informed Decision Making in Maternity Care
ACOG Committee Opinion: Informed Consent
Check your knowledge:
What is informed consent?
Without looking, what does BRAIN stand for?
Under what circumstances is informed decision making helpful?
Why is being able to make informed decisions vital to having the type of birth you want?
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