“The Third Sex” – A study of distress in physicians

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atmire.migration.oldid6085
dc.contributor.advisorMitchell, Ian
dc.contributor.authorKenny, Kathryn May
dc.contributor.committeememberBrain, Philippa
dc.contributor.committeememberGuichon, Juliet
dc.contributor.committeememberRaffin Bouchal, Donna Shelley
dc.date.accessioned2017-10-11T17:41:48Z
dc.date.available2017-10-11T17:41:48Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.date.submitted2017en
dc.description.abstractThe purpose of this inquiry was to gain a rich and deep understanding of the lived experiences of physicians who engage in Disorders of Sexual Development (DSD) diagnosis, disclosure and management. The primary aim of this inquiry was to achieve an in-depth understanding of ethical and/or moral dilemmas, emotions, feelings, and challenges that may arise in DSD counselling, and to begin to understand the meaning behind these experiences, and how physicians shape their practices based on these experiences. Hermeneutic phenomenology was selected as the most appropriate method of qualitative research as outlined by Max Van Manen. Open ended unstructured interviews were conducted with seven physicians of various specialties in the Calgary Zone of Alberta Health Services who work with patients under the age of eighteen. DSD diagnosis and counselling was revealed to be a distressing clinical encounter for physicians in my study; however, the origin as well as depth to which physicians perceive an impact on their clinical practice is quite variable. Physicians are faced with varying degrees of uncertainty in DSD counselling and all specialties acknowledge its presence. Physicians have uniquely adapted practice styles to minimize the effect of this uncertainty. Physicians involved in the surgical dimension of the DSD counselling experience describe the possible violation of the ethical principle non-maleficence as a source of personal distress. Poor communication, as embodied in the form of mixed diagnostic and management messages between various multidisciplinary health care team members and the parents of DSD infants/children, contributes to physician anxiety. Lastly DSD counselling is made more difficult by the societal and sometimes cultural expectations placed on families. The interpretive description of this inquiry has the promise to help readers gain a greater understanding of the essence of DSD counselling from the perspective of the physician. I hope the rich descriptions provided in the analysis section of this paper will compel each reader of this paper to advocate for DSD patients whether or not they are directly involved in healthcare. Increased exposure and education, framed within a positive perception, is critical to the improvement of the lives of DSD patients throughout the world.en_US
dc.identifier.citationKenny, K. M. (2017). “The Third Sex” – A study of distress in physicians (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/28401en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/28401
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11023/4219
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectMedicine and Surgery
dc.subject.otherPhysician Distress
dc.subject.otherMedical Uncertainty
dc.subject.otherDisorders of Sexual Development
dc.title“The Third Sex” – A study of distress in physicians
dc.typemaster thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineMedical Science
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science (MSc)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
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