The BRAIN TAP acronym for medical decisions

Leanna Mae is an author, women’s health educator, and birth doula. Her degree is in health sciences. She is passionate about patient education. She loves to teach! She is also passionate about patient rights and healthcare ethics. She became a birth doula in 2008, a certified breastfeeding specialist in 2014, and graduated college in 2018. After graduating, she started teaching classes. She now offers online classes and in-person classes in western Ohio as well as birth doula services in the Dayton/Springfield area. 

The following digital download contains
1. A PDF in black and white for easy printing 
2. A PDF in color for digital saving 
3. A JPEG of this image you can easily save to your phone 

BRAIN TAP acronym

$1.00

add to cart

Healthcare professionals have recommendations. You have options. There are many things in birth that are optional. If you’re not sure if you want to do/use something or not, sometimes it’s hard to make a decision that aligns with the kind of care you want.
 
Use this acronym to help you make decisions in your health care.
 
B stands for benefits.
What benefits are there to what is being offered? If it’s a medication or intervention, why is it being recommended? What are the pros of doing this and choosing to do it now?
 
R stands for risks.
What are the risks of doing this? All medications have side effects and risks. Most interventions and some tests do as well. It is important to weigh the risks against each other when weighing multiple options. Also consider the likelihood of those risks.
 
A stands for alternatives.
Are there any alternatives to this option? Do any of the alternatives align with your values or preferred approach to healthcare more?
 
I stands for intuition.
What does your intuition tell you? Intuition can be a powerful tool.
 
N stands for nothing.
What happens if you do nothing? Is it safe to wait and see? Is it probably okay to say “not right now” and circle back to this option later?

T stands for take time to think about it or talk through it.  
Do you need some time to think about it? You can also take time to talk through it. You can always choose to have time to talk it over with your spouse or support people privately.
 
A stands for ask questions.
Do you feel like you need more information on it? If this is a medication, what category does it rank in for safety during pregnancy or breastfeeding? It’s always okay to ask questions. Patient education is a big part of healthcare. A good professional will take the time to offer education and further insight to help you have all the information you need to be comfortable making a decision.
 
P stands for pray about it.  
We should make decisions prayerfully and follow the lead of the Holy Spirit.
 
 
If you’re not sure if you want to do or use an intervention or medication,
use the BRAIN TAP to help you decide. 

If your current situation is not an emergency, there should always be time for the patient to make a decision. Only the patient is the rightful decision-maker over what kind of care they receive. Even in an emergency, there should be communication from/with your healthcare team. If you feel you need it, you have the right to take time to think over the decision.
 
What are some situations you have used this in?

learn more about classes here

learn more about birth doula services here