CGHSR and Global Partners Launch New Course to Improve Informed Consent for Cesarean Sections Worldwide
Rahel Nardos, MD, MCR, right, speaks with a standardized patient while filming a module on informed consent for cesarean section.
The Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility has released a globally accessible simulation-based e-learning course to help healthcare providers deliver ethical, culturally relevant and evidence-based informed consent before cesarean sections.
“Informed Consent & Team Communication During Cesarean Section” is now live on the United Nations Global Surgery Learning Hub, featuring modules on patient communication, shared decision-making and cultural competence in care.
The course is the result of years of collaboration with international and local partners, including Mekelle University in Ethiopia, the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda, and Kaiser Permanente Northwest.
Designed for OBGYNs, general practitioners, Integrated Emergency Surgery and Obstetric officers (IESOs), nurses and midwives, the modules provide an important primer for health care providers regarding the importance of shared decision making during informed consent before c-sections and how to communicate with clarity and compassion, ultimately elevating the practice of patient-centered care.
“We’re so grateful for our amazing global partners and all they’ve contributed to this work,” said CGHSR Director of Global Women’s Health Rahel Nardos, MD, MCR. “We’re excited to have this resource published and available to a global audience.”
Publishing the modules on the United Nations Global Surgery Learning Hub expands access for providers worldwide and builds on CGHSR’s mission of equipping practitioners with tools that improve surgical outcomes and equity in women’s health.
C-sections account for more than 20 percent of births globally, according to the World Health Organization. But a lack of adequate, informed consent continues to be a challenge. C-sections often occur in time-sensitive environments further compromised by hierarchical, patriarchal and resource-constrained situations, all of which can erode patient autonomy.
Cesarean section can be lifesaving when a vaginal birth poses risks to the mother or child. However, the procedure also includes risks of its own, with an associated maternal mortality and morbidity that is 100 times higher in low-income countries than it is in high-income countries. This emphasizes the critical need to make informed consent an integral part of patient-centric care.
The content reflects input from experienced physicians and feedback from healthcare teams who participated in CGHSR’s proof of concept and pilot program, ensuring that the training is culturally relevant, practitioner-informed and grounded in actual clinical challenges.
Topics in the modules include culture considerations for informed consent, ethics and informed shared-decision making.