Graphic Pathographies and the Ethical Practice of Person-Centered Medicine

Abstract

Graphic medicine is a swiftly growing movement that explores, theoretically and practically, the use of comics in medical education and patient care. At the heart of graphic medicine are graphic pathographies, stories of illness conveyed in comic form. These stories are helpful tools for health care professionals who seek new insight into the personal, lived experience of illness and for patients who want to learn more about their disease from others who have actually experienced it. Featuring excerpts from five graphic pathographies, this essay illustrates how the medium can be used to educate patients and enhance empathy in health care professionals, particularly with regard to informed consent and endof-life issues. IntroductionOver the past eight years, graphic pathographies have become powerful tools in medical education and patient care [1,2]. From these stories, practitioners and trainees can discover details they might not have known or fully understood about how an illness can impact a person's daily living. Similarly, patients can learn new information from others who contend with the same illness. These new perspectives can help lessen the isolation that patients often feel and can also help patients cultivate practical skills that might enhance their autonomy and moral agency. This essay provides a brief overview of the advantages of the comic medium as well as a practical method for teaching graphic pathographies, with special attention to empathy, informed consent, and end-of-life decision making.

Facilitators and barriers in using comics to support family caregivers of patients receiving palliative care at home: A qualitative study

“…Some caregivers, however, showed difficulties with understanding visual metaphors, 30 contesting the argument that the medium can communicate complex things in a concise way. 27 Comics demand active interpretation of the narrative and everything that is implied 20, 26 , 29 , 45 —having to slow down to fully grasp a comic 48 may not fit a turbulent palliative care context.…”

“… 20 , 23 , 24 It has been argued that the combination of words and images allows comics to show how it feels to be ill or to provide care. 25 , 26 This showing—sometimes in just one panel instead of large amounts of text—would enable readers to understand the various layers of often complex experiences 21 , 25 – 29 : via visual metaphors 30 or ambiguities 20 containing multiple messages instead of one absolute meaning. 29 By creating engagement and affect, 20 , 21 , 31 authors argue, comics facilitate understanding the fictional characters’ perspective.…”

Methodological reflections on artistically illustrating ethnographic text from a study of sport pedagogy in youth detention: Ethics, affect, and description

“…His impressionist tale rather describes a way to invite the reader to personal accounts allowing for an understanding of the “feels” of the data. One field in which the increasing popularity of graphic arts as a way of disseminating research has been considered, used and discussed is public health [e.g., ( 16 , 26 , 27 )]. For instance, Febres-Cordero et al [( 16 ), p. 42S], argue from a realist standpoint that the dissemination of research findings in a “culturally appropriate graphic and narrative language” will help decrease mortality from opioid epidemic.…”

Designing a Graphic Novel: Engaging Community, Arts, and Culture Into Public Health Initiatives

“…Graphic arts in particular are an accessible and adaptable means to communicate messaging on health. They can affect communities and individuals on both emotional and social levels by combining visual and narrative stories that decrease feelings of isolation and educate on practical skills (Myers & Goldenberg, 2018). Comics and graphic arts are effective, educational, engaging, and acceptable to young people and adults (Ashwal & Thomas, 2018).…”