COVID-19 DIAGNOSIS ANNOUNCEMENT

Introduction: Physicians find it difficult to announce the diagnosis of Covid-19 and often resort to the advice of a psychiatrist. This is due to the fear of the patients reaction and the negative psychological impact that the announcement would cause, the poorly known evolution of this pathology and to the lack of training regarding Covid-19 diagnosis announcement practices. The purpose of our study is trying to better understand the current practice and the difficulties encountered during the Covid-19 diagnosis announcement as well as evaluating the patients general reactions.

Material and Methods: Quantitative, descriptive and analytical, cross-sectional study based on an online questionnaire.

Results: 114 physicians filled in our questionnaire. More than half of them had not received any training regarding Covid-19 dignosis announcement. 94.7% of the physicians believe that it is necessary to announce the diagnosis of Covid-19, most of them considering it as an asset in their disease management. The reluctance to announce a disease with a severe prognosis, along with the fear of negative social and therapeutic repercussions, would slow down clinicians in their practice. Although most clinicians provide a variety of information (clinical, therapeutic, prognostic, target symptoms, and treatment side effects), the majority of participants were satisfied with the information they provide to Covid+ patients.

Conclusion: A framework for the diagnostic process, training dedicated to the announcement and the use of material aids should be considered in order to limit these difficulties and to support physicians in their practice. In this respect, primary care physicians are almost unanimous in their desire for specific training.