Where Science Meets Stories: A Systematic Review on Narrative Medicine

Abstract

Narrative medicine is an interdisciplinary field that merges storytelling with medicine. Its distinctive feature lies in the integration of evidence-based medicine and a patient-centered care approach, prioritizing the individual over the disease. In recent years, narrative medicine has gained exponential significance. However, despite the growing interest in this field, there is a notable paucity of systematic studies exploring narrative medicine from the patient’s and their caregivers’ perspective. This literature review employs the PRISMA 2020 guidelines to analyze research studies focusing on the impact of narrative medicine on the illness experience of patients and their caregivers. A comprehensive search was conducted across databases: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EBSCO Psychological and Behavioral Science, the Cochrane Library, and CINAHL. Two authors independently assessed the eligibility of the studies and extracted the data. There are employed keywords related to “Narrative Medicine” and “Narrative-Based Medicine” appearing in the titles or abstracts of works up to February 2024. Through a process of screening and data extraction from the initial pool of 724 articles, 58 full-text articles were assessed and 42 studies meeting the inclusion criteria were identified and critically analyzed. Despite methodological heterogeneity that may limit generalizability, the review highlights a positive impact of narrative medicine on patient and caregiver perspectives. Additionally, patient and caregiver narratives not only positively influence their well-being but also highlight their concerns and their requirements. This review addresses methodological limitations and suggests future research directions to bridge gaps in the literature. Challenges such as methodological heterogeneity and the paucity of standardized protocols persist.