L'explication du diabète dans une séance d'éducation thérapeutique : une activité discursive contribuant au développement professionnel des soignants

Combining socio-cultural psychology, a clinical approach to activity, and discourse analysis, this study focuses on a patient education session between a nurse, Inès, and a diabetic teenager. Our aim is twofold: we examine the mechanisms of inter-comprehension and mutual adjustment during the process of explanation, and we encourage professional development. An explanatory sequence is examined, and the professional is then confronted with their own work (simple and crossed self-confrontation). The results show that, during patient education, the medical discourse that emerges creates a substantial asymmetry between the participants, raising doubts about the patient's understanding. During simple self-confrontation, Inès questions her own understanding of the patient's emotional state. During crossed self-confrontation, remarks by a colleague lead her to recall an earlier professional situation, and to think about her own emotional states and interpretations. Self-confrontation seems to offer a way to understand the psychological mechanisms that underlie the explanations given by professionals, and to encourage a form of professional development.