Narrative Structure and Health Indicators: Providing Care Around Story
Carla Gober-Park, Ph.D., MS, MPH, Director, Center for Spiritual Life and Wholeness, Loma Linda University
This paper explores the relation of narrative writing, health indicators and the capacity to provide care for others. Two types of narrative writing are discussed in relation to health indicators of medical students with the purpose of exploring the possible connections between personal wholeness and the capacity to provide whole person care for others.
Two types of narratives: medical students were asked to write two types of narratives: a patient interview and a personal illness narrative where the student “stepped into the shoes” of someone with an illness as if he/she was that person, experiencing what that person experienced. The two narratives are analyzed using qualitative methods.
Quantitative assessment: The structure and content of the two narratives are compared with a quantitative instrument exploring personal health indicators of burnout, compassion, health indicators, listening skills and wellness.
Background: Research in various fields has identified positive aspects of reflective writing. Some research suggests that through reflective writing, empathy can be taught and reflective writing assignments have been integrated in many medical schools. We will be comparing the instruments straight across with the qualitative analysis. The validated instruments (Inter IRI, Maslach Burnout Inventory - MBI, Active-Empathetic Listening Scale - AEL, Duke University Religion Index - DUREL) will help us know whether our 40 item LLU-WPC Questionnaire captures what we are trying to measure. In other words, while the IRI measures empathy, we are hoping the LLU-WPC Questionnaire measures empathy within an overall context of wholeness (whole person care for self). Little research has been done on the relation of personal wholeness and the ability to provide whole person care as a healthcare clinician, especially as it relates to medical students and physicians. While there is some extant research and literature on medical student and physician wellness, very little of it connects with how that affects personal ability to provide whole person care to others. In addition, research in a variety of fields has identified positive aspects of reflective writing, with some research suggesting that through reflective writing, empathy can be taught, but this has not been substantiated. Finally, there is no research that connects all three: personal wholeness (whole person care for self), the ability to give whole person care to others (whole person care for others), and reflective writing.
Discussion: This discussion takes the above research and discusses the implications for clinical care – of the caregiver, as well as the patient, with a focus on the power of personal story as it interacts with the stories of others. This presentation uses research as the starting point for a rich discussion of the place of story in the personal and professional life, highlighting specific skills needed for clinical care that helps others (and one’s self) find meaning. While this research is situated in a specifically Christian context, it explores the value of a Christian-informed model built around story.
This paper explores the relation of narrative writing, health indicators and the capacity to provide care for others. Two types of narrative writing are discussed in relation to health indicators of medical students with the purpose of exploring the possible connections between personal wholeness and the capacity to provide whole person care for others.
Two types of narratives: medical students were asked to write two types of narratives: a patient interview and a personal illness narrative where the student “stepped into the shoes” of someone with an illness as if he/she was that person, experiencing what that person experienced. The two narratives are analyzed using qualitative methods.
Quantitative assessment: The structure and content of the two narratives are compared with a quantitative instrument exploring personal health indicators of burnout, compassion, health indicators, listening skills and wellness.
Background: Research in various fields has identified positive aspects of reflective writing. Some research suggests that through reflective writing, empathy can be taught and reflective writing assignments have been integrated in many medical schools. We will be comparing the instruments straight across with the qualitative analysis. The validated instruments (Inter IRI, Maslach Burnout Inventory - MBI, Active-Empathetic Listening Scale - AEL, Duke University Religion Index - DUREL) will help us know whether our 40 item LLU-WPC Questionnaire captures what we are trying to measure. In other words, while the IRI measures empathy, we are hoping the LLU-WPC Questionnaire measures empathy within an overall context of wholeness (whole person care for self). Little research has been done on the relation of personal wholeness and the ability to provide whole person care as a healthcare clinician, especially as it relates to medical students and physicians. While there is some extant research and literature on medical student and physician wellness, very little of it connects with how that affects personal ability to provide whole person care to others. In addition, research in a variety of fields has identified positive aspects of reflective writing, with some research suggesting that through reflective writing, empathy can be taught, but this has not been substantiated. Finally, there is no research that connects all three: personal wholeness (whole person care for self), the ability to give whole person care to others (whole person care for others), and reflective writing.
Discussion: This discussion takes the above research and discusses the implications for clinical care – of the caregiver, as well as the patient, with a focus on the power of personal story as it interacts with the stories of others. This presentation uses research as the starting point for a rich discussion of the place of story in the personal and professional life, highlighting specific skills needed for clinical care that helps others (and one’s self) find meaning. While this research is situated in a specifically Christian context, it explores the value of a Christian-informed model built around story.