Abstract

ORTIZ CHAVES, Carol et al. Imaginaries of pre-surgical patients regarding structure and function of their abdominal organs, a qualitative work. Revista médica Risaralda [online]. 2013, vol.19, n.1, pp.50-53. ISSN 0122-0667.

Introduction: each individual builds their imaginaries as mental representations that are mainly based upon past experiences. Children assemble imaginaries of their own bodies early in life, when they acknowledge through movement, that their body parts have defined structure and function. Corporal image has been the aim of multiple studies. However, to our knowledge, there has been no previous work that focuses on the mental representations of those parts that remain “silent” because they are hidden to sight and touch and eventually become “visible” due to disease. Such is the case of surgical pathologies of abdominal organs, in which it is relevant to take into account those imaginaries as they may influence patients’ decisions. Methods: a qualitative study based on the Grounded Theory was conducted in the Hospital Universitario San Jorge in Pereira, Colombia. The imaginaries of seven surgical patients concerning the structure and function of their abdominal organs are described. In-depth interviews were transcribed verbatim and the resulting textual units allowed for open coding, data saturation, axial categorization and finally, triangulation. Additionally, patients were asked to depict in a drawing the abdominal cavity as they believed it to be configured. Results/Discussion: five categories emerged from the analysis, namely: 1. Imaginaries of organ structure and function are built differently from patient to patient. 2. Disease helps to realize the existence of abdominal structures. 3. In relation to patients’ imaginaries, there are organs that “serve some purpose” while there are others that do not. 4. Regarding the sources for learning, there is a notable difference between popular and scientific knowledge. 5. Surgical procedures are accepted as a curative measure by patients.

Keywords : Imagination; Body image; abdominal cavity; body; medicine; perception; organs.

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