Riflessioni sul concetto di "Care"
Reflections on the concept of "Care"
It happened to all of us several times, during our work, to receive recognition from our patients. I decided to publish this letter because it is particularly exciting but above all, because it has led me to reflect further on the concept of "care" and therefore on our activity.
Between the two English verbs "to cure" and "to care" despite being phonetically and graphically very similar, there is a substantial difference. Translating their meaning into Italian "to cure" means healing- to heal, while "to care" meand to take care of.
For all health professionals it is important to understand and apply the concept of "care", but it is especially so for those who, like us, are in charge of maternal and fetal health in the perinatal period.
Pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding are unique and special moments for every mom and every dad. So special that they leave a clear and indelible memory, as evidenced by the letter of this mother who tells, after more than 7 years, in detail all the events but above all the feelings she felt: fear, joy, consolation.
I am always very embittered when I listen to stories of mothers who have experienced "these" moments, almost always because of indifferent or wrong behavior on our part. Like everyone, I am well aware of the difficulties we can encounter in our activity, which is very demanding and can be influenced by the quality of the center where we work. But we have the luck and the chance to accompany the triad in this journey and certainly our commitment can make the difference.
Our mission is, and will always remain, to spread and train for the humanization of care.
We know that we have all achieved many improvements but there is still a long way to go. With regard to this, for example, I was surprised to find that, given the very high cesarean rate, our FAD course on the subject was less than expected.
I believe that we must not use the alibi of objective difficulties, because we can all contribute to the improvement of the "care" by applying, even only in part, the methodologies.
"What we can't do is what we don't start doing"
We must be aware that, independent of how the birth takes place, it is important for the newborn and his parents to be received with respect and attention and we must give the opportunity and space for their loving encounter.
I conclude by leaving you to read the letter and thanking all those who care for the care of mothers and children with love, dedication and enthusiasm.
Arturo Giustardi
Rivista Italiana
on line "LA CARE" Volume 15, Numero 2, anno 2019
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