Notes from our meeting

Here are some initial notes on the ILA...

Structure of the course

Week one: 3hr intro class
Wks 2-4: Independent research and drop-in sessions
Wk 5: group presentation


KEY QUESTIONS/issues

* What is the task? What is the focus?: the aim is, perhaps: "to use stories to explore differences in perception of health and disease"

* Why are we doing this? See various rationales

* What are they going to do? When? How? In their research, they can use published stories (perhaps also health/illness blogs) as well as obtain interviews from patients. Note: Contact Philip Chan re the practicalities of getting interviews. Is it really feasible for them to get interviews from patients, doctors and nurses?...)

* - are they going to be working in groups or pairs? My feeling has been that small groups are better, although Joy suggested pairs might work well. In light of the tight time frame on this, and that we are hoping they will be adventurous in their presentations, I wonder whether this will be a lot to ask of two people to get done?

* contact Bob Petrulis re MRSA work

* research whether to use Minerva or MOLE

* Decide on key (guided) readings for each week



First session

Three hours long - input from Joy and Brendan. Having made this list below, there seems to be quite a bit to fit in.... Some things which might be covered in this session:

* The details of the task: what is required

* the difference between qualitative and quantitative research

* the values of qualitative research

* the difference between (taking) a 'history', and a narrative

* Introduction to 'narrative' (what is narrative? philosophical issues)

* the philosophical basis of this exercise/class; c.f. Blanchot/ Levinas: the ethics of encounter

* Power and narrative (white coat syndrome) – how to elicit a ‘good’ story

* Journalling ( ie Reflection/ reflective writing - but don't call it that...)

* Group work - blogs: research whether to use Minerva or MOLE

* Comprehensive documentation to be available via the course website before week one. Students to be referred to, and walked through, course site during seminar. Decide on key (guided) readings for each week, and also prepare additional reading list


Assessment

Two elements to the assessment:

1. Group presentations (how long? - 10-15mins per group + questions?)
2. Individual writing on the task - 1000 words

* Marked on a pass/fail basis
* Hand in individual written work a week after the presentations in order to take account of them – ‘prescribed/progressive freedom’ – allow leeway; genres; quotes; triangle;

Quotes

This post is a quotation from this web site:

"Narrative competence is required to practice primary care medicine effectively. That is, the ability to acknowledge, absorb, interpret, and act on the stories and plights of others. Medicine practiced with narrative competence (narrative medicine) is proposed as a model for humane and effective practice.

There are 4 central narrative situations: Physician and patient; Physician and self; Physician and colleagues; Physicians and society.

With narrative competence, physicians can reach and join their patients through illness, recognize their own personal journeys through medicine, acknowledge kinship with and duties toward other health care professionals, and inaugurate consequential discourse with the public about health care.

By bridging the divides that separate physicians from patients, themselves, colleagues, and society, narrative medicine offers fresh opportunities for respectful, empathic, and nourishing medical care.

Despite dazzling technological progress in diagnosis and treatment, physicians sometimes lack the capacity to recognize the plights of their patients, to extend empathy towards those who suffer, and to join honestly and courageously with patients in their illnesses. A scientific competent medicine alone cannot help a patient grapple with the loss of health or find meaning in suffering. Along with scientific ability, physicians need the ability to listen to the narratives of the patient, grasp and honor their meaning, and be moved to act on the patient's behalf. Narrative competence is the competence that human beings use to absorb, interpret, and respond to stories.

Comment by site author: I believe primary care clinicians would understand the term better if it were changed from "narrative medicine" to narrative-based medicine". "Evidence-based" medicine is the scientific basis of medicine. "Narrative-based" medicine is the art."

First post

It was good to discuss the ILA yesterday - I'll put various things on this blog as they occur to me. To start with, here's the whiteboard... (click on the picture for a larger view)



And the powerpoint notes I made are available by clicking here.