What is narrative medicine?
- Author:
Liping GUO
1
Author Information
1. Department of Language and Culture in Medicine, School of Health Humanities, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- MeSH:
China;
Curriculum;
Education, Medical;
Humans;
Narrative Medicine;
trends;
Physician-Patient Relations
- From:
Journal of Zhejiang University. Medical sciences
2019;48(5):467-473
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Narrative medicine first entered China in 2011 and has developed rapidly since then. The patient-centered care, shared decision making and relational medicine in the medical sphere, together with patients narrating their illness and narratology contributed to the rise of narrative medicine. Through listening to patients' narratives, paying attention to their emotions, and representing their stories in various ways, clinicians can connect with patients and empathize with them. In this way, affiliation and mutual trust with patients can be established. Patients will feel good in the doctor-patient encounter because of such humane care, and clinicians may get satisfaction from their work. Narrative medicine courses characterized by close reading of literature and writing should be added to the curriculum of medical education as the major content of medical humanities, so as to train narrative competence for the future doctors.
