Persistent influence of a narrative educational program on physician attitudes regarding patient care.

PURPOSE: Educational approaches involving patient stories aim at enhancing empathy and patient-centered care; however, it is not known whether the influence of such programs on physician attitudes persists beyond medical school.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Family Centered Experience (FCE) paired preclinical medical students with patient families over two years and engaged students in reflective dialogs about the volunteers' stories. This study examined possible long-term influences on attitudes toward medicine and doctoring. Interviews were conducted with former students at the end of or after post-graduate training. All had completed the FCE between 4 and 10 years before the study. Thematic analysis was informed by a constructivist Grounded Theory approach.

RESULTS: Several themes were identified. The FCE made graduates aware of the patients' perspectives and impacted their clinical practice in specific ways, such as developing collaborative partnerships, conducting family meetings, and breaking bad news. The course had influenced career choices and interest in teaching. Finally, the FCE enhanced appreciation of the human dimensions of medicine, which graduates had drawn upon in subsequent years.

CONCLUSIONS: A program based on longitudinal interactions with individuals with chronic illness can have persistent influence by stimulating reflection on the patient's perspective and humanistic approaches to patient care.