TAUREEF MOHAMMED STORIES MAKE up the day-to-day work of a doctor. To make a diagnosis, we need a story. Even radiologists – doctors who spend their days interpreting computer-generated images of the human body – need a story to go with the pictures. Pathologists, doctors who examine the dead at macroscopic and microscopic levels to
Medical interest in the study of narratives, whether those of patients or doctors,
goes back a long way. However, the field of narrative medicine emerged in the late
20th century and is associated in many people s minds with two seminal texts. One
was Narrative Based Medicine: Dialogue and Discourse in Clinical Practice, a collection
of essays edited by two British academic general practitioners, Trisha Greenhalgh
and Brian Hurwitz. The other was Narrative Medicine: Honoring the Stories of Illness
by the US physician and literary scholar Rita Charon.
Developing art and creativity to improve the effectiveness and delivery of healthcare. From narrative medicine to the disclosure of one's medical records on the net: how "open sourcing" feelings and fears can help fight cancer and reshape the concept of "cure".
The relationship between physician and patient is special, built on a foundation of trust and compassion. Narrative medicine serves as a pathway to enhance this experience even further.