When Play Reveals the Ache: Introducing Co-constructive Patient Simulation for Narrative Practitioners in Medical Education.

Despite the ubiquity of healthcare simulation and the humanities in medical education, the two domains of learning remain unintegrated. The stories suffused within healthcare simulation have thus remained unshaped by the developments of narrative medicine and the health humanities. Healthcare simulation, in turn, has yet to utilize concepts like co-construction and narrative competence to enrich learners' understanding of patient experience alongside their clinical competencies. To create a conceptual bridge between these two fields (including narrative-based inquiry more broadly), we redescribe narrative competence via Ronald Heifetz's distinction of "technical" and "adaptive" challenges outlined in his adaptive leadership model. Heifetz, we argue, enriches learners' self-understanding of the unique demands of cultivating narrative competence, which can be both elucidated on the page and tested within the charged yet supportive simulation environment. We introduce Co-constructive Patient Simulation (CCPS) to demonstrate how working with simulated patients can support narrative work by drawing on the clinical vicissitudes of learners in the formulation and enactment of case studies. The three movements of CCPS-resensing, retelling, and retooling-told through learner experiences, describe the affinities and divergences between narrative medicine's sequence of attention, representation, and affiliation; Montello's three forms of narrative competence (departure, performance, change), and Heifetz's three steps (observe, interpret, and intervene) of adaptive leadership.

Conducting a narrative medicine workshop in ambulatory palliative care: A feasibility and exploratory study.

OBJECTIVES: This pilot study aimed to assess the feasibility and impact of a narrative medicine group for patients receiving palliative care. METHODS: This pilot study aimed to assess the feasibility of a six-session, physician-led narrative medicine group for patients receiving palliative care. Ten patients were recruited by their outpatient providers. Symptom severity and patient dignity scores were collected pre-intervention, at the mid-point, and post-intervention using the Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI) and Edmonton Symptom Assessment Survey (ESAS). Qualitative reports of pain, expectations, and anticipated challenges were collected before the intervention. Participant interviews were conducted after the intervention to assess overall experience in the group, challenges experienced, recommendations for future endeavors, and general feedback. RESULTS: No significant changes in PDI or ESAS scores were observed at baseline, 3 weeks, and 6 weeks. Participants reported overall satisfaction, with 8 of 9 participants stating they "strongly agree" they would participate in the group again and recommend the group to others. Qualitative responses indicated benefits in the realms of relating to other patients, subjective reduction in pain, and relieving feelings of isolation. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: A narrative medicine group for ambulatory patients receiving palliative care appeared to be both beneficial and feasible when delivered through a virtual format. A randomized trial with a larger sample is needed to fully assess the impacts of engaging in narrative work on symptom burden, survival, and quality of life.