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[The birth of a neonate with a congenital malformation]
R Paludetto1, G Mansi, J Van den Heuvel
1Neonatologia, Dipartimento di Pediatria, Università Federico II di Napoli, Italia.
Insights
Parents face shock and disbelief when a neonate has a congenital malformation. Effective communication from healthcare professionals is crucial for parental adaptation and support.
Area of Science:
- Medical Communication
- Neonatal Care
- Parental Adaptation
Context:
- The birth of a neonate with congenital malformation presents significant challenges for parents, often initiating a complex adaptation process.
- Parental reactions and relational difficulties are influenced by malformation characteristics and the quality of information and support received.
- Healthcare professionals acknowledge the difficulties in communicating congenital malformation diagnoses to parents.
Purpose:
- To provide guidance on effectively communicating congenital malformation diagnoses to parents.
- To emphasize the importance of a sensitive and supportive interpersonal approach in healthcare communication.
- To outline best practices for delivering difficult medical news to families.
Summary:
- Parents experience distinct emotional phases (shock, disbelief, adaptation) following a neonate's congenital malformation diagnosis.
- The manner of communication, including timing, setting, and provider involvement, significantly impacts parental coping and adjustment.
- Recommendations include immediate, simultaneous communication by pediatric and gynecologic specialists in a private setting with ample time.
Impact:
- Improved communication strategies can enhance parental understanding and reduce distress.
- Facilitating better parent-child bonding and family adjustment during a critical period.
- Establishing a foundation for more effective, empathetic, and patient-centered neonatal care.
Abstract:
The birth of a neonate with congenital malformation for the parents determines often a process of adaptation with a phase of shock, a phase of incredibility and scare and, at last, one of adaptation and equilibration. The reactions of the parents and the difficulties they meet in the relation with the child depend mostly on the characteristics of the malformation and on the explanations and support they receive. The Health care personnel knows well that the communication of a diagnosis of a congenital malformation to the parents is frustrating. Both the Pediatrics and the Gynaecologist have to considerate seriously and consciously this relational question, considering that the communication is a interpersonal relationship and therefore flexible and changeable in every case. After this previous statement we consider it useful to report advises taken from the literature: the parents have to be informed at once the diagnosis is confirmed, possibly at the same time and in presence of the infant; the communication should be done both from the Pediatrics and the Gynaecologist, possibly at the same time; the communication should take place in a private atmosphere and with plenty of time.