Medical authority to repair the exchanges
A situation may occur where the practitioner suddenly realises that the
information he/she has just given, is upsetting the woman and/or her
partner. It is often when he/she is coming to the end of his/her expert
explanations by asking if there are any questions, that the woman
expresses her concerns. At this stage, some practitioners use the
medical authority frame as a way of “repairing” the emotional harm
that the medico-scientific discourse has caused. This might mean a brief
incursion during which the practitioner sets aside the neutral attitude
and adopts that of the benevolent authority of someone who has the
answers and can be trusted. At the very least, this comes in the form of
a comment that qualifies the information that have just been given:
“You know the information now, don’t think about that anymore
[…] we are very, very positive here in terms of the
situation. I mean it sounds very good.” (Midwife, England)
The practitioner will occasionally engage his/her subjectivity before
picking up the threads of the medico-scientific arguments. In the
Parisian unit, repair sometimes goes hand-in-hand with a justification
that the practitioner uses to free him/herself from the recommended
principle of neutrality, so as to better adjust to the woman’s distress:
“You are 30 years old. The neck is thin. I’m not worried
but we have to have this conversation […] I have to give you
the most reliable information possible” (Midwife, France).