[Comfort and discomfort: the role of emotions in GPs' prescription practices].

INTRODUCTION

The role of emotions in GPs' prescribing has been ignored. The present article describes 20 GPs' reflections about what precedes comfort and discomfort in prescribing situations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In-depth interviews were done with 20 GPs who contributed with examples on an open comfort-discomfort scale. Analysis of the data was inspired by grounded theory.

RESULTS

The GPs experienced a broad spectrum of emotions when prescribing. In every prescribing situation, conditions could pull towards both comfort and discomfort. Comfort appeared when the indication was correct and the patient's condition was serious, when the patient experienced the problem as serious, when the situation was acute and the medicine effective, and when the GP experienced himself as competent. Medicines were placed between comfort and discomfort when prescribing was perceived as indifferent, unproblematic and easy, when the GP was concerned about inflicting a sick role on the patients, and when patients were not convinced about the appropriateness of the medication. Discomfort appeared when there was a great risk of dependence, when GPs experienced and gave in to pressure, when they had to convince patients, and when they prescribed addictive medicine regularly. The totality of conditions in the situation determined the emotional state in the prescribing situation.

DISCUSSION

The GPs' emotions reflected how they evaluated the appropriateness of their prescribing. This should be taken advantage of in rational pharmacotherapy. Future interventions should address both the rationality of GPs and their emotions.