OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify subjective emotional issues in gynecological consultations that can interfere in the doctor-patient relationship and that raise the need for the gynecologist to seek complementary training. METHOD: A qualitative clinical research study was performed, using a semi-directed interview technique with open questions. The answers were submitted to thematic content analysis and elaboration of analytical categories based on the psychodynamic frame of reference. An intentional sample was used, including eight gynecologists from Southeast Brazil. RESULTS: Analysis of the interviews revealed two thematic categories in the doctor-patient relationship: the medical appointment as "an affective-professional encounter" and as "a moment for personal reflection". According to the findings, doctor-patient interaction plays an important role in professional satisfaction, helping physicians reflect on their personal issues. There was a demand for complementary learning to contain the internal feelings mobilized by the relationship with the patient. There are moments of increased vulnerability for the gynecologist, and early clinical practice is considered one of the most striking moments of transition. CONCLUSION: The interviewees displayed various characteristics that suggest intense mobilization of emotional issues during contact with patients in the setting of the medical appointment. Limitations in the basic medical education of the gynecologists interviewed here motivated their search for complementary personal training, in some cases including psychotherapeutic counseling.
Psychology, Medical; Physician-Patient Relations; Qualitative Research; Gynecology; Psychoanalysis; Psychology