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This study aimed to explore the decision-making process of patients with pregnancies affected by serious congenital abnormalities. The study design was an exploratory qualitative study. The sample for this study was pregnant individuals who had a prenatal diagnosis of a serious congenital abnormality and were offered termination of pregnancy. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews with closed and open-ended questions, recorded and transcribed verbatim, were used to collect the data; this was then analyzed using a thematic data analysis approach. Five topics were developed: "Health care services", "Home", "Being a mother", "Finding meaning", and "The aftermath". The first four topics describe the decision-making process where the participants filtered through multiple factors to reach their final decision. Although the participants consulted with their families, partners, and community, they made the final decision themselves. The final topics describes activities which were necessary for closure and coping. This study has provided valuable insight into the decision-making process, which can be used to improve services offered to patients. Information should be communicated clearly with follow-up appointments to discuss further. Healthcare professional should show empathy and assure the participants that their decision is supported. • There are limited qualitative data on termination of pregnancy decision-making for serious congenital abnormalities in the African setting. • This paper provides insight into the decision-making process of pregnant individuals from the Western Cape, South Africa. • Decision-making for terminating pregnancy affected by congenital abnormality is multifaceted but with one deciding factor. • Contrary to what is anecdotally expected, in this study the participants made the final decision. • Tragic optimism was necessary for the participants to carry on with their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In health interactions which require an interpreter, there are occasions when there are uninterpreted asides between participants. These are often construed to be features which hinder the interpreting process. However they have potential to yield critical information in certain health care contexts. Methods: This paper examines 17 instances of asides in interpreted interactions which took place in 3 intercultural health care contexts in South Africa. The asides were transcribed, translated and analysed based on conversation analysis principles. Results: The topics of the asides as well as who initiates them appear highly dependent on contextual features. There is evidence for the emergence of ‘small talk’ which serves the purpose of framing comfort levels, aligning the interpreter and patient or offering guidance for example, and the emergence of ‘big talk’ or engagement on topics which for cultural and historical reasons and power imbalances between the health practitioner and patient may be too difficult to raise directly. Such information also yields critical diagnostic and therapeutic information. Conclusion: Our findings suggest evidence for the presence of multiple patterns and roles that the interpreter may assume in such interactions. Practice implications: Implications for team training and practice are provided. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]