COGNITIONS OF PHYSICIANS DURING CARDIOPUL MONARY-RESUSCITATION

The cognitions of 20 emergency-physicians while working on a mobile re suscitation unit were examined by means of questionnaire in over 260 s ituations of resuscitation. A pattern of cognitions could be detected: Emergency physicians appear not to think very much during resuscitati on. If there are thoughts, these usually concern the obvious, or what is immediately present in the situation, i. e. the patient or the pati ent's relatives; repression may also play a role. Cognitions which are reflective of self are rare and only develop late in the situation, d epending on the surroundings and the amount of stress. The cognitions concerning the relatives are frequent in those situations with direct physician-relative contact. The physicians often report in retrospect having felt compelled to a decision for resuscitation by the presence of the relatives; nevertheless, the decision itself appears to be a re sult, rather, of their cognitions of the relatives. Distancing by mean s of cognition was ubiquitously employed as a coping strategy by physi cians when in situations which were perceived as not having a positive outcome. Thoughts about ''own death'' or ''about the patient'' are sp ecific, however, for certain groups of doctors. Results of the present investigation suggest that physicians have cognitions about relatives during the process of decision making, and cognitions about the patie nt during the resuscitation manoeuvre.