Storytelling and poetry in the time of Coronavirus

Elizabeth Barrett, Melissa Dickson, Clare Hayes-Brady, Harriet Wheelock

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)
149 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The coronavirus crisis occurs at a time when many clinicians have already experienced burnout. One in three Irish doctors were suffering from burnout in the 2019 National Study of Wellbeing of Hospital Doctors in Ireland; rates are also high in Irish Psychiatry. We present a perspective on the use of narrative in medicine and recognise that storytelling, and the patient history are very much at the heart of medicine. Clinician storytelling, such as Schwartz Rounds and Balint group work, has very much come to the fore in Irish Psychiatry and in training. Projects such as MindReading have explored overlaps between clinicians, humanities experts and experts by experience. We give an overview of some approaches from the movement around narrative in medicine to bolster this. We explore why clinicians write as ways to support identification, catharsis and a way to process experiences. Clinicians and patients may also use literature and poetry to promote coping. The historical context and practical strategies are highlighted, particularly with reference to poetry use during the current crisis.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)278-282
Number of pages5
JournalThe Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine
Volume37
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 14 May 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This article received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial or not-for-profit sectors (or declare financial support if appropriate).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.

Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

Keywords

  • Narrative in medicine
  • clinician burnout
  • compassionate care
  • medical education
  • medical humanities

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Applied Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • History and Philosophy of Science

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