Graduation Date

Summer 8-22-2025

Submission Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program

School

School of Nursing

Faculty Mentor

Michael Neft

Keywords

Informed consent, checklist, shared decision-making model (SDM), anesthesia, labor and delivery, obstetric

Abstract

Abstract

Background and Significance: Informed consent is the disclosure of all benefits, risks, and alternatives to patients for a given intervention. Recalling all important details during the consenting process can prove difficult for providers. The process is further complicated for obstetric patients since healthcare decisions also have consequences for the fetus. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ Committee (ACOGC) (2021) recommends shared decision-making models (SDMs) for the obstetric patient population. SDMs engage patients in healthcare decisions by reaching a decision through provider expertise, best evidence, and patient values. In addition, surgical informed consent checklists have emerged as useful tools. While anesthesia informed consent checklists have yet to be documented in the literature, an informed consent checklist encompassing all pertinent anesthesia information may prove helpful to anesthesia providers. Purpose: This quality improvement (QI) project sought to improve the anesthesia informed consent process for labor and delivery through implementation of a standardized comprehensive checklist and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) SHARE decision-making model. Adoption of the checklist would result in consistent, streamlined, and patient-centered anesthesia information for labor and delivery. Intervention: An anesthesia informed consent checklist encompassing the AHRQ SDM was developed and implemented at an urban hospital’s labor and delivery unit. Results and Implications: A ten-question survey evaluated anesthesia staff use and satisfaction of the checklist and SDM. A Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 71 for both the checklist and shared decision-making (SDM) indicates satisfaction with the informed consent process, suggesting improvement and consistency.

Keywords: Informed consent, checklist, shared decision-making model (SDM), anesthesia, labor and delivery, obstetric

Language

English

Included in

Nursing Commons

COinS