Narrative Medicine: Honoring the Stories of Illness by Rita Charon
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
I really did not want to review this book, because every time I think about it I get too worked up and frustrated to form any coherent sentences that do not resemble a very long rant. But alas, let me start by asking a very sarcastic question: Who knew that physicians would actually be better in treating their patients, if they only listened?
Well, the author uses that as her main argument for her book Narrative Medicine: Honoring the Stories of Illness, although not much “honoring” is actually present in this collection of personal experiences the author, a physician herself, shares with the reader. In chapter 1, the reader receives enough information about the author in order to paint a very clear picture of this physician, whose priorities with regards to her patients is skewed. Furthermore, she continues with the assumption that all physicians are, like her, more interested in meetings, conferences and only treating the ailing body without any consideration of the mental health of a patient. Until, of course, she stumbles upon the grande discovery that mind and body are actually connected, at which point she begins teaching all of her medical students the importance of patient narration and the inclusion of medical reports that are less clinical and more personal in nature.
The premise of the book seems promising and interesting, unfortunately, the author wastes too much time on the argument of a point, which should be quite obvious to most working in the health care profession. What really appalled me while reading this book is the way the author treated her own patients before she began actually listening to her patients (and in that sense treating them like human beings).
The writing, contrary to her teachings, is clinical, filled with quotes and references of literature and literary theory, giving the impression the author is hiding behind quality writing and theory, instead of making her own argument and experiential research speak for itself.
Having a few years of experience working in the health care profession myself, listening to the patient was the first lesson I was taught during my first internship. It makes me wonder what sort of physician the author actually is, considering it is the patient’s health she is dealing with.
There is better research on this topic than this book and better experiential and applicable methods. Despite what others have written about this book, sadly I have to give it a pass.
