PARENTS NEEDS AFTER ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSIS OF A FETAL MALFORMATION - ANEMPIRICAL DEFICIT ANALYSIS

We studied 56 pregnant women and 24 partners after ultrasound examinat ion in the 18-24th gestational week revealed a fetal malformation. The subjects were followed through the process of examination, informatio n sharing and counselling about the option of terminating the pregnanc y. Regardless of sociodemographic variables or attitude towards the pr egnancy, the diagnosis was always traumatic. A detailed critique of th e physician's behavior and function emphasized his important role in t he process of coming to terms with the malformation and gave clear ind ications of the positive expectations parents had. The affected patien ts expected the role of the professionally competent expert to be comb ined with that of the empathetic approachable counsellor, whose step-b y-step explanation would allow them to decide for themselves whether t o terminate the pregnancy. The partner's participation was an essentia l aid to adjustment. It remains to be seen to what extent the function s of the doctor and the patient's expectations of the doctor are reali stic and justified.