Narrative medicine. A model for empathy, reflection, profession, and trust
Title
Narrative medicine. A model for empathy, reflection, profession, and trust
Creator
Charon R
Identifier
Publisher
Journal Of The American Medical Association
Date
2001
Subject
Physicians; Qualitative Research; Health; methods; medicine; narrative
Description
The effective practice of medicine requires narrative competence, that is, the ability to acknowledge, absorb, interpret, and act on the stories and plights of others. Medicine practiced with narrative competence, called narrative medicine, is proposed as a model for humane and effective medical practice. Adopting methods such as close reading of literature and reflective writing allows narrative medicine to examine and illuminate 4 of medicine's central narrative situations: physician and patient, physician and self, physician and colleagues, and physicians and society. With narrative competence, physicians can reach and join their patients in illness, recognize their own personal journeys through medicine, acknowledge kinship with and duties toward other health care professionals, and inaugurate consequential discourse with the public about health care. By bridging the divides that separate physicians from patients, themselves, colleagues, and society, narrative medicine offers fresh opportunities for respectful, empathic, and nourishing medical care.
2001
Rights
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Type
Journal Article
Citation List Month
Backlog
URL Address
Citation
Charon R, “Narrative medicine. A model for empathy, reflection, profession, and trust,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed February 17, 2025, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/12348.