The value of patient stories

The New York Times Health section had a compelling article today about the value of patient stories and memoirs. Their value may not be in their literary style, many may in fact be lacking literacy polish. The true value of these stories may be the stories themselves. There is therapeutic value to the story, both for the reader and the writer. They inform us of the human condition, the very real emotional pain that goes into illness, and perhaps remind us of the need for empathy toward each other.

Learning to communication in multi-disciplinary teams

I had the privilege to present at the ACRP Global Conference in April. You can now listen to the audio of my presentation about Communication in Multi-Disciplinary Teams here ACRP Presention.mp3

A tangible piece of the conversation with your doctor

Things have been buzzing with our physician-patient communication research group. A new topic of interest is the use of brochures and handouts, a tangible piece the patient can take away from the conversation. Specifically, we are interested in looking at how brochures and handouts can be used to aid in the conversation. Perhaps brochures can help prompt comments from both the physician and the patient, as they read through the brochure together. And when the physician or the patient actually writes something on the brochure, it may help prompt recall of the conversation later.

What do you think? What makes a brochure or handout from a doctor useful? And what make it go straight in the garbage?