Patient Stories May Improve Health - NYTimes.com

Patient Stories May Improve Health - NYTimes.com: "Patients and doctors have long understood the power of telling and listening to personal narratives. Whether among patients in peer support groups or between doctors and patients in the exam room or even between doctors during consultations, stories are an essential part of how we communicate, interpret experiences and incorporate new information into our lives.

Dr. Houston is currently involved in several more studies that will examine the broader use of storytelling in patient care and delineate ways in which it can best be integrated. Nonetheless, he remains certain of one thing: Sharing narratives can be a powerful tool for doctors and patients.

“Storytelling is human,” Dr. Houston said. “We learn through stories, and we use them to make sense of our lives. It’s a natural extension to think that we could use stories to improve our health.”

The great thing about the web is it allows people to share stories so easily ! Online support groups, blogs, forums and bulletin boards make it much easier for patients to reach out and touch someone else's life !

We have lots of IVF success stories on our website and reading these helps patients to cope better with their IVF treatment. I'd also like to point out that while reading these stories is very useful for patients, writing their stories and helping others is also very helpful ! Sharing stories helps both the sharer and the sharee !