When protagonists mobilise the same frame
In several cases, the medico-scientific expertise frame is common to both practitioners and women – the latter are often already informed but require additional information to make or confirm their decision. The protagonists thus engage in continuous and fluid interactions, the scientific and technical content of which is rooted in evidence-based medicine.
In the following extract, a couple has been referred to the French provincial centre for a risk of DS of 1:130. The woman wants more information about the risk of miscarriage, which the midwife estimated to be 1:200. The woman initiates the dialogue and concludes with her decision to have the amniocentesis:
Woman: “It is very important to me to understand what you are telling me. If we don’t understand, the decision is not very informed”.
The midwife writes her calculation on a piece of paper. X=100/130. The woman uses her calculator: “That gives 0.77. There is a 0.77 chance out of 100 that there is a problem [with the foetus]”.