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Breaking Bad News: Doctors' Feelings and Behaviors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 April 2014

Fernanda Saviani-Zeoti  and
Eucia Beatriz Lopes Petean
Fernanda Saviani-Zeoti*
Affiliation:
Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
Eucia Beatriz Lopes Petean*
Affiliation:
Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Fernanda Saviani Zeoti, Rua Professor Hoehne, 41. Sumarezinho - CEP: 14055-27. Phone: (55) (16) 3630-9232. E-mail: [email protected]
Eucia Beatriz Lopes Petean, Av. Bandeirantes, 3900. Monte Alegre – Dept° de Psicologia e Educação/FFCLRP-USP- CEP: 14040-901. Phone: (55) (16) 3602-3767. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The announcement about the handicap of a child is communicated to parents by gynecologists or ultrasonographists, in the prenatal period. Often, these professionals are not prepared to communicate this news to the parents, and they have some limitations that lead them to act inappropriately. Therefore, the aims of this research were to identify and to describe the feelings of professionals facing this situation, and to examine their behaviors when they have to inform a couple about the child's anomaly. Ten gynecologists and ultrasonographists were interviewed: five were consultants in Public Health Services and five were private clinicians. Interviews were carried out with a semi-structured script. The results showed that, according to the participants, there is no specific moment, nor a standard behavior, that is most appropriate for making such an announcement. Yet the data show that all the participants feel hurt or frustrated when they must announce this phenomenon, becoming involved with the case. In conclusion, no graduate course has prepared them to deal with this deficiency. Suggestions are made concerning the graduate curriculum in order to improve the preparation of future doctors. A mental health professional is even necessary among the multidisciplinary team formed to deal with the pain produced in the moment of the announcement.

Los ginecólogos o los ultrasonógrafos son los profesionales que deben comunicar a los padres la noticia de la discapacidad de su hijo, en el período prenatal. A menudo, estos profesionales no están preparados para comunicar este suceso a los padres y tienen algunas limitaciones que les llevan a actuar de forma inapropiada. Por ello, los objetivos de esta investigación eran identificar y describir las emociones de los profesionales que afrontan esta situación y conocer sus comportamientos cuando tienen que informar a una pareja de la anomalía de su hijo. Se entrevistaron a 10 ginecólogos y 10 ultrasonógrafos: 5 trabajaban en los Servicios de la Salud Pública y 5 eran clínicos privados. Las entrevistas eran semi-estructuradas. Los resultados muestran que, según los participantes, no hay un momento específico, ni un comportamiento estándar que sea el más apropiado para semejante situación. Sin embargo, los datos muestran que todos los participantes se sintieron dolidos o frustrados cuando tuvieron que informar de este fenómeno, y se involucraron en el caso. Concluyendo, no ha hay ningún curso de la licenciatura que los haya preparado para afrontar esta deficiencia. Se hacen algunas sugerencias acerca del currículo de licenciatura para mejorar la preparación de los futuros médicos. Incluso se necesita un procesional de la salud mental en los equipos multidisciplinarios que se forman para afrontar el dolor que se produce en el momento de semejante noticia.

Keywords

medical formationfamily and handicaphandicapfeelingsformación médicafamilia y discapacidaddiscapacidademociones
Type
Articles
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 10 , Issue 2 , November 2007 , pp. 380 - 387
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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