Narrative Medicine
Narrative medicine is the practice of paying attention to story in health care as a means of improving the clinical encounter and, ultimately, patient outcomes. Proponents of narrative medicine argue that practitioners who are skilled in listening to and interpreting patient stories are better prepared to accurately diagnose and effectively treat patients. Programs in narrative medicine seek to prepare future providers to attend to patient stories by developing in them skills related to observation, analysis, and reflection. These skills are often developed through exercises in close reading, creative and reflective writing, and interpretation of graphic texts.
