Strengths and Limitations
A strength of this study was the 360-degree view of the consent process that not only included those involved in the discussion, but also those observing. Triangulation of the data allows for greater confidence in the findings.10 The inclusion of birth partners views extends previous studies findings related to women and health professionals.4,11 Data were collected within 3 weeks of the event, thus avoiding recall bias.
The main study limitation was that only the views of women who consented to take part were obtained and represented here. We do not know the views of the women who declined to participate, and whether they were satisfied with the consent process. Future studies would benefit from asking these women’s opinions as well.