The Physician as Storyteller

Medical Writings4 December 2001The Physician as StorytellerAbraham Verghese, MD, MFA, DSc (Hon)Abraham Verghese, MD, MFA, DSc (Hon)Texas Tech Health Sciences Center; El Paso, TX 79905Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-135-11-200112040-00028 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail In recent years there has been a steadily growing interest in the narrative aspects of medical practice, as well as in doctors' writings about their work. Underlying this interest is the assumption that careful attention to the language and stories of medicine can enrich the doctor–patient relationship, improve patient care, and enhance doctors' sense of satisfaction with their work. The following article inspired—and now initiates—a series by physician-writers who reflect on the interrelationship between their literary and medical work. 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In: Fraser A, eds. The Pleasure of Reading. London: Bloomsbury Pr; 1992:74. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Abraham Verghese, MD, MFA, DSc (Hon)Affiliations: Texas Tech Health Sciences Center; El Paso, TX 79905Note: This paper was presented in modified form as the Nicholas E. Davies Memorial Lecture at the 2000 American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine Annual Session on 13 April 2000.Acknowledgments: The author thanks Martha Cornog and Delese Wear for their invaluable advice and assistance in preparing this manuscript.Excerpt from Chekhov by Henri Troyat (originally published in France under the title Tchekhov, Flammarion, 1984; translation by Michael Henry Heim, 1986) reprinted with permission of Georges Borchardt, Inc.Corresponding Author: Abraham Verghese, MD, Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, 4800 Alberta Avenue, El Paso, TX 79905 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byPolice officers as filmmakers: the cinematography of body worn camerasReconciling the Uniquely Embodied Grief of Perinatal Death: A Narrative ApproachDevelopment of an Art of Oncology Curriculum to Mitigate Burnout and Foster Solidarity Among Hematology/Oncology FellowsBody Image Perceptions of Women Veterans With Military Sexual TraumaGetting Started in Medical WritingThe Role of Reflection in Narrative MedicineThe Storied Analyst: Desire and Persuasion in the Clinical VignettePower Day: Addressing the Use and Abuse of Power in Medical TrainingA methodology of loving kindness: how interpersonal neurobiology, compassion and transference can inform researcher–participant encounters and storytellingThe Pathologist as PoetJournal Narratives Are Now Free AccessUsing a Narrative Approach to Enhance Clinical Care for Patients With AsthmaElectronic Health Record Training in Undergraduate Medical EducationThe Reflection Competency: Using Narrative in RemediationTreating the whole patient: passing time-honoured skills for building doctor-patient relationships on to generations of doctorsNarrative medicine: A call to pensL'enseignement de la médecine narrative peut-il être une réponse à l'attente de formation des étudiants à la relation médecin–malade ?1 Getting Started in Medical WritingMedicine and literature: a section in a medical university libraryA narrativa como ferramenta para o desenvolvimento da prática clínicaThe Role for Narrative in the Era of Evidence-Based Pain CareCan Literature Enhance Oncology Training? 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