Narrative Medicine: An unexplored perspective in the medical curriculum to enhance patient-centredness and empathy in medical students
- Author:
Chandramani Thuraisingham
;
Sivalingam Nalliah
- Publication Type:Review Article
- Keywords:
Narrative medicine;
curriculum;
patient-centredness;
empathy;
medical students
- From:International e-Journal of Science, Medicine and Education
2017;11(2):4-13
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
A medical narrative is a physician-patient
dialogue, where the physician listens carefully to
fragments of the patient’s story, while interpreting their
hidden messages and word sequences, as well as observing
their gestures and body language. This aspect of the
therapeutic relationship contributes to deciphering
symptoms which are not apparent in the conventional
interview and contributes to a much broader perspective
of illness and health.
The arts and the humanities have always been
inseparable from each other in medical education.
In this biomedical revolution, the humanities are needed
now more than ever before to bridge the divides that
separate the physician from the patient, from self, from
colleagues, and society.
Narrative Medicine (NM) which aims to treat the
whole person, and not just the illness, is an emerging
patient-centred discipline in medical schools that can
humanise medical care and promote empathy.
NM helps medical students cope with the suffering
of their patients as well as their own emotions by
reducing the anxiety and threat that come with illness,
thereby providing a psychologically-sound foundation
for the development of self-reflection and empathy.
NM facilitates medical students’ adoption of patients’
perspectives with the hope of ultimately leading to more
humane, ethical and empathetic healthcare for their
patients. The discipline of NM is critically examined in
this review paper from the perspective of external and
internal stakeholders.
