Narrative Medicine: Improving Patient Care and Shifting Office Culture

Chronic pain and depression are both prevalent in the Unites States and often co-exist in the same population. According to the literature, there is no consensus between providers as to the best practice of treating chronic pain and concomitant depression. Narrative Medicine, a medical model that uses a patient’s illness narrative to make meaning of their disease, allows patients to tell their stories of chronic pain and other important aspects about their life, while it helps providers better understand patients’ experiences with pain. This project will assess the current culture and attitudes of providers treating chronic pain conditions at the Center for Family Medicine at Eastern Maine Medical Center. It will also assess their current understanding of Narrative Medicine and the Northwestern Life Story Interview. We found that providers who dread visits with patients with chronic pain conditions are more likely to feel less confident when treating those patients.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/1282/thumbnail.jp