What Seems to be the Matter? Versus what Matters to You? Reflections on Narrative Medicine

As an interdisciplinary approach, Narrative Medicine (NM) integrates methods from the field of humanities (close reading, deep listening, reflective writing, storytelling) in order to enhance the physician-patient relationship and improve clinical outcomes. The current paper reviews 13 most recently published articles (2023-2024) that refer to the formation of the physicians’ narrative competence, integration of storytelling as a tool that connects healthcare providers with patients, and how NM can be integrated into the medical curriculum and clinical practice. The paper answers three basic questions: (1) What is Narrative Medicine; (2) What are the benefits of Narrative Medicine; (3) How is Narrative Medicine implemented in clinical practice? Terms of narrative competence, narrative thinking, and vicarious trauma are discussed in this context. The synthesis was performed with the aim of introducing NM to the curriculum of a local Medical Humanities master’s degree program and as an optional practical application for undergraduate medical students.