Delivering the Diagnosis Copy
Video Transcript
Dr. Young
(Hands the baby back to one of his parents). He looks great.
(Doctor sits at eye level of mom and dad, who are both sitting. Maintains eye contact, sits slightly forward, legs are not crossed, and palms are face down in lap. Still maintains gentle smile.) Now, let’s talk about the test results.
The tests have come back and they confirm that your son does have Down syndrome.
(silence for the family to respond, doctor watches for nonverbal communication from parents)
Mrs. Brown
(begins crying and shakes head from side to side in disbelief)
Mr. Brown
(nods head affirmatively while leaning in to comfort mother)
?Decision Point: What do you say next?
A) What did you understand from what we talked about last time?
Good choice; you are checking for understanding from your last interview and giving the family a chance to respond.
B) Let’s talk specifically about what Down syndrome means.
Not the best choice, because you have not given the family a chance to react or to check what they remember from the last interview.
C) I want you to understand that this is not the end of the world.
Not the best choice, because it may reinforce the family’s own feeling of hopelessness at this point.