Documenting Patient and Provider Stories as a Teaching Tool

Patients and doctors have long understood the power of telling and listening to stories. Heath stories are inherently dramatic. Powerful stories told with rich media activate brain regions associated with attention and memory. In a recent study on managing high blood pressure published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, patients who received DVDs with videos of similar patients telling stories about their own experiences were able to achieve better blood pressure control on average than those who received drug regimens.

This pilot program at Duke University's Center for Documentary Studies uses documentary as a way for participants to better understand the complex stories of patients, their families and providers, as well as create materials which can be used to educate, inform, motivate and/or advocate on behalf of patients and providers. Using photography and audio, participants spend time with, hear the stories of, reflect on and then edit and render short pieces which more authentically capture health stories than those typically churned out quickly and formulaically in news and marketing departments. Through producing these pieces, participants reconnect with the human side of illness. For those working in medical care, this experience fosters the knowledge and empathy that can, in turn, enable better health care and better health outcomes. This presentation provides examples of pieces produced by participants, as well as resources for those wishing to bring this educational modality into their curriculum.