Communicating risk

With GDM, physicians often come down on the side of sometimes false reassurance:

• “We want to optimize your health; there’s something that’s a red flag but its not too bad”

• “It’s good to stay motivational as opposed to just scare people with diagnoses because that can be not helpful at all.”

• “It’s complex, but you are going to be able to do it really well. We will just take it step by step.”

From Bernstein, JA, McCloskey L, Gebel CM, Iverson RE, Lee-Parritz A. Lost opportunities to prevent early onset type 2 diabetes mellitus after a pregnancy complicated by gestational diabetes. BMJ Open Diab Res Care 016;4:e000250.

And a possible solution:

P.U.R.E. (Purposeful, Unambiguous, Respectful, and Effective) Communication: A Strategy to Improve Care-Coordination for High Risk Birth

From Gephart SM, Cholette MS. Newborn Infant Nurs Rev 2012;12: 109–114.)

Go Back