The Ideal Physician-patient Relationship in Narrative Medicine
10.35301/ksme.2025.28.1.75
- Author:
Donghyun AHN
1
Author Information
1. Associate Professor, College of General Education, Seoul Theological University, Bucheon, Korea
- Publication Type:Research Article
- From:
Korean Journal of Medical Ethics
2025;28(1):75-91
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Narrative medicine aims to enhance empathetic, patient-centered care by listening to patients’ narratives and understanding their experiences. This article examines Emanuel and Emanuel’s four models of the physician-patient relationship—paternalistic, informative, interpretive, and deliberative—highlighting their distinctions and connections to narrative medicine. By comparing these models, the article shows how narrative medicine addresses some of the limitations of traditional approaches to patient care. Drawing on analyses of literary works such as Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Edison’s Wit, and Roth’s Everyman, the article explores how the paternalistic and informative models manifest in real-world clinical interactions and illustrates how narrative medicine can mitigate their shortcomings. In the context of healthcare systems driven by efficiency and constrained consultation times, narrative medicine offers a way to improve patients’ quality of life and foster trust between doctors and patients. This article argues for integrating narrative medicine into medical education and healthcare practice as an essential step toward cultivating ethical and effective physician-patient relationships.
