Physician Leadership Journal
Once Upon a Time: Storytelling to Connect with Your Patients
Storytelling helps patients cope with illness, treatment, or death by providing meaning and comfort, enhancing doctor-patient communication and making medical interactions more meaningful.
November/December 2024 Vol. 11, No. 6 pp. 41–43 DOI: 10.55834/plj.1232300377
Abstract
Storytelling is a form of communication through which we can help people cope with and reframe Illnesses, treatment, or death by providing meaning and comfort. Engaging patients through storytelling can make medical interactions more effective and meaningful. Doctors can use several strategies to incorporate storytelling into their practice to enhance patient communication. The potential beneficial effects of telling a story have been recognized in many cultures and have received attention from philosophers, social scientists, and medical practitioners. The author discusses how stories can embellish the doctor-patient relationship.
