Storytelling is a centuries old tradition, and it remains central to our lives even today. The field of narrative medicine is an attempt to converge this tradition with the practice of medicine. Dr. Rita Charon, who is a leading figure in this field, defines narrative competency as “an ability to critically understand and to be moved by a patients story”.
But what is the benefit of such an approach? Its benefit lies in its ability to help humanize medicine. Patients are often treated as numbers and their symptoms as mere pieces of a puzzle. In our current system, the focus is usually not on people but on the eradication of their disease. However, their stories can help bridge the divide between the patient and the physician by helping to build an emotional connection between them.
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Although it is often argued that distancing oneself from the patient is better overall for both the patient and the physician, Dr. Rita Charon, an internist, understood very early in her career as a physician that in order to become a better doctor, she had to first become a better listener and a narrator of stories. With this realization, she pursued a PhD in English that helped her learn how to listen to people’s stories and gain those last bits of information to help her serve them better. Her belief in this approach has led her to direct the first Narrative Medicine Program in the entire nation at Columbia University. It has been very well received and attended by healthcare professionals from all over the world.
While the field of narrative medicine is gaining momentum throughout the nation, the big idea surrounding this approach is relatively simple. It is a model that provides the means for physicians to bridge the divide between them and their patients, colleagues, and society. It not only helps the physicians in the initial diagnostic process by suggesting additional therapeutic options, but it also trains them to be more empathetic so that they can truly understand their patients and how they feel. In this manner, both the patient and the physician can benefit as narrative medicine helps to create a better understanding between them. This helps to lower the rates of physician burnout and reduces the possibility of a lawsuit while improving the overall experience of the patient.
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