CAHSS Faculty Articles

"It's Nothing Serious, but...": Parents' Interpretations of Referral to Pediatric Cardiologists

ORCID ID

0000-0002-9312-9780, 0000-0002-3982-6884

ResearcherID

G-8814-2018

Publication Title

Health Communication

Publication Date

1990

Abstract

Differences in parents' interpretations of their child's referral for a heart murmur to pediatric cardiologists were investigated. Interviews with 32 families making their initial visits to a heart specialist were studied through the use of discourse analysis. Among the study's areas of investigation were: parents' concerns over being told that the heart murmur was not cause for worry, but the physician still felt the need to refer the child to a pediatric cardiologist; parents' doubts whether the referring physician had the expertise necessary to know when a murmur was inconsequential; and parents' uneasiness as to whether they should or should not be concerned over their chid's condition. A transcript of an actual referral to a pediatric cardiologist was used to illustrate to physicians how to conduct future referrals for heart murmurs.

DOI

10.1207/s15327027hc0203_3

Volume

2

Issue

3

First Page

165

Last Page

187

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