Informed Choice vs. Informed Consent

Informed Consent VS. Informed Choice

Ok, so Informed Consent is what most people in a traditional Doctor/Patient relationships are offered. This means that the patient is informed of all the benefits and risks of the proceedure being performed and asked to give their consent for that specific procedure. Informed Choice means that the client (I am changing my word usage on purpose here) is informed of all the options available to them and all the risks and benefits associated with those options.
Here is a childbirth related example: Informed Consent - you are seven days past your due date and are ready to have this baby. You ask your doctor and are informed that you can have Amniotomy, amniotic sac ruptured by the Dr. (this is only one method that Dr.s may use to induce labour, chosen for this example). You will be informed that this increases you risk of infection, that it may still take hours for labour to begin, that there is a significant chance that other measures will have to be taken to augment the labour, that there will be a time limit put on your labour and any other information about this particular procedure. You will then be asked to sign a consent form and the procedure will be booked.
Informed Choice - You are seven days overdue and ready to have this baby. You ask your Doula or Midwife what your options are and they inform you that you can have a medical procedure such as Amniotomy, or Prostoglandin gell, or pitocin, or you can have your membranes stripped. They will also inform you that you can try natural ways of inducing labour first. Such as, exercise, homeopathics and herbal remedies or, intercourse. Your Doula or Midwife will give you the information on the effectiveness of each option, the risks and benefits and, will give you time to research, ask questions and make your decision. A Doula or Midwife will then support your choice and assist you in whatever way is needed.
The fact that a doctor is not likely to present you with informed choice does not make doctors bad or evil or even a wrong choice. Informed consent is part of the medical model and for some people the medical model is the right fit for their birth. however, if you pref to have options and to be given a distinct say in your birth experience then you may want to consider finding a Midwife or hiring a Doula