Impact of a narrative medicine program on reflective capacity and empathy of medical students in Iran

Abstract

Purpose: Narrative medicine consists of the expression of medical experiences and the reflection on narratives to foster empathic communication with patients. Reflecting on narratives increases self-awareness and recognition of the feelings of the narrator or the story’s main character, which in turn affects the audience. This study was conducted to examine the impact of a narrative medicine program on the reflective capacity and empathy of medical students.Methods: A quasi-experimental study was performed during the 2018–2019 academic year at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran involving 135 medical interns in 2 groups (control [n=66] and experimental [n=69]). Interns in the experimental group took part in seven 2-hour reflective practice sessions, while those in the control group underwent no educational intervention. Pre-test and post-test assessments were conducted for both groups using 2 valid and reliable tools for the assessment of reflective capacity and empathy. Mean reflection and empathy scores were compared within groups (between pre- and post-test values) and between groups (using the paired-t test and the t-test; P≤0.05).Results: The mean reflection and empathy scores of the experimental group significantly increased from pre-test to post-test, but those of the control group did not. Moreover, the mean post-test scores were significantly different between the 2 groups (P<0.001).Conclusion: Narrative medicine is an effective teaching method that can improve reflective capacity and empathy, thereby ultimately promoting professionalism as a core competency in medicine. Consideration of learning conditions and interdisciplinary teaching are necessary for implementing a narrative medicine program.

How does narrative medicine impact medical trainees’ learning of professionalism? A qualitative study

“…Thus, the allocation and use of a means through which trainees can develop their professional identity seem heavy tasks [10]. NM is considered to be an innovative and effective way to stimulate the professional development of medical students by educating them to approach the patient's experience of illness with more understanding, compassion, reflection and empathy [15,16]. Our previous research found that exposure to an NM program increased empathy scores among health care practitioners, as measured via the Jefferson Scale of Empathy, Health Professions Version [8].…”

A Systematic Review of Educational Interventions and Their Impact on Empathy and Compassion of Undergraduate Medical Students

“…A wealth of teaching pedagogies has been used to develop empathy, compassion and respect for patients in medical students (30)(31)(32)(33) These include, but not limited to, patients' narratives and creative arts, drama workshops, communication skills, reflective writing, video-based learning and experiential learning (34)(35)(36)(37). Lastly, the impact of role modeling and hidden curriculum in teaching compassion and empathy is well-established (38)(39)(40).…”

Empathy, personality traits, and emotional management in 2nd and 4th-year dentistry students: a single-center study

“…A 6-year longitudinal study by Kataoka et al was able to show a positive influence of communication training on empathy of medical students [ 46 ]. Daryazadeh et al used a narrative approach to train self-reflection and empathy and were able to show an increase in both after a session of only two hours [ 47 ]. Other studies with a wide variety of training approaches have also shown an improvement in the doctor/student-patient relationship [ 48 ].…”