1
D221 Final Exam Practice Improvement Plan on Informed
Consent 2025 Western Governors University
D221 Practice Improvement Plan Proposal
Leavitt School of Health, Western Governors University
Molly Hall
March 22, 2025
, 2
D221 Practice Improvement Plan Proposal
Situation (S)
A1. Healthcare Related Situation
Perinatal nurses often find themselves in precarious positions between their patients and
the provider during the patient’s labor journey as we try to advocate and educate our patients.
Patients have a vision of what they want their birth experience to be. Providers have their own
vision of what they want the day to be. Often times the two experiences couldn’t be more
different. There is a lack of communication between the provider and the patient. Without
communication, there is no informed consent. This happens every single day in many labor and
delivery units.
Background (B)
A2a. Data
“Informed consent is a cornerstone of medicine, ensuring ethical treatment
decisions and patient-centered care. Patients have the right to make informed and voluntary
treatment decisions. Informed consent is more than merely a signature on a document; it is a
communication process between the clinician and the patient. This process ensures that the
patient is fully informed about the nature of the procedure or intervention, the potential risks and
benefits, and the alternative treatments available.” (Shah, et al., 2024)
As a bedside nurse of 11 years, it is hard to imagine healthcare without informed consent,
but it is becoming a reality for many labor and delivery nurses. Patients are coming in for their
scheduled elective inductions without a clear understanding of what their labor will look like. It
was an insidious problem at first, but as the years passed, my coworkers and I noticed a huge
shift and lack of education that our patients had received. We began having conversations about
D221 Final Exam Practice Improvement Plan on Informed
Consent 2025 Western Governors University
D221 Practice Improvement Plan Proposal
Leavitt School of Health, Western Governors University
Molly Hall
March 22, 2025
, 2
D221 Practice Improvement Plan Proposal
Situation (S)
A1. Healthcare Related Situation
Perinatal nurses often find themselves in precarious positions between their patients and
the provider during the patient’s labor journey as we try to advocate and educate our patients.
Patients have a vision of what they want their birth experience to be. Providers have their own
vision of what they want the day to be. Often times the two experiences couldn’t be more
different. There is a lack of communication between the provider and the patient. Without
communication, there is no informed consent. This happens every single day in many labor and
delivery units.
Background (B)
A2a. Data
“Informed consent is a cornerstone of medicine, ensuring ethical treatment
decisions and patient-centered care. Patients have the right to make informed and voluntary
treatment decisions. Informed consent is more than merely a signature on a document; it is a
communication process between the clinician and the patient. This process ensures that the
patient is fully informed about the nature of the procedure or intervention, the potential risks and
benefits, and the alternative treatments available.” (Shah, et al., 2024)
As a bedside nurse of 11 years, it is hard to imagine healthcare without informed consent,
but it is becoming a reality for many labor and delivery nurses. Patients are coming in for their
scheduled elective inductions without a clear understanding of what their labor will look like. It
was an insidious problem at first, but as the years passed, my coworkers and I noticed a huge
shift and lack of education that our patients had received. We began having conversations about
