GPCC article about giving voice to unheard patients named a top cited article

The article “Epistemic injustices in clinical communication: the example of narrative elicitation in person-centred care” has been recognised as a top cited paper 2021-2022 in Sociology of Health & Illness. The authors of the article argue that narrative interviews can be one way to give a voice to the patients who would otherwise not have been able to tell their stories or share their illness experiences. Reasons for why they would not have been able to do so can be because they would never have been asked, or because they thought that their accounts would be unheard or unbelieved.

Some patients participating in the study felt that their stories and experiences were acknowledged during these interviews, and they could articulate lifeworld goals easily. On the other hand, this study also highlighted that some patients who have difficulty or lack the skills to express their illness experiences may not immediately benefit from narrative interviews. These patients may need more encouragement, support and attention during narrative interviews.

The study also showed that health professionals may need to be more reflexive about their ways of listening and more attentive to the variety and many facets of patient life stories, social problems, as well as previous experiences of exclusion, stigmatisation and of not being believed.