When a paediatrician establishes a trusting relationship with their patient, the chance of a positive outcome multiplies. A calm child, who participates fully in the communicative exchange is more receptive to the clinician’s requests and reports weaker sensations of pain. This experience stays with the child, shaping how they approach their healthcare as adults. Our qualitative case study unpacks the linguistic aspects of a 32-minute videoed and transcribed exchange between a paediatrician (co-author) and a five-year-old boy she is preparing for a risky procedure. It asks: what linguistic strategies reduce his anxiety? Non-pharmacological methods are key here, as deep sedation is problematic. Our study explains the communicative techniques that the paediatrician exploits. We identify how they function, and how seemingly disconnected strategies group naturally under a few general principles. This is important for professional development because fewer overarching principles are easier to grasp and subsequently to deploy. Our interdisciplinary approach, which relies on real data, can be replicated and expanded with healthcare professionals to enable them to act concretely on their language productions.

中文翻译：

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在医疗程序前建立儿童的信任：语言案例研究


当儿科医生与患者建立信任关系时，取得积极结果的机会就会成倍增加。一个冷静的孩子，充分参与交流，更容易接受临床医生的要求，并报告疼痛感较弱。这种经历会一直伴随着孩子，影响他们成年后如何对待自己的医疗保健。我们的定性案例研究揭示了一名儿科医生（合著者）和一名正在为危险手术做准备的五岁男孩之间长达 32 分钟的视频和转录交流的语言方面。它问：什么语言策略可以减轻他的焦虑？非药物方法是关键，因为深度镇静是有问题的。我们的研究解释了儿科医生所采用的沟通技巧。我们确定它们是如何运作的，以及看似互不相关的策略如何在一些一般原则下自然地组合在一起。这对于专业发展很重要，因为较少的总体原则更容易掌握并随后部署。我们的跨学科方法依赖于真实数据，可以与医疗保健专业人员一起复制和扩展，使他们能够根据自己的语言成果采取具体行动。