Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

Tue 09 Sep 2005Listening to patients' narrativesMedical Matters: Somewhere amid the politics of healthcare and the ongoing debate about improving our health system are patients. Real people, with real stories about their illnesses.We probably do not hear enough about the experiences of individual patients. Their stories are valuable; they give true insight into the nature of illness and the human condition. At the medical coalface, there is some concern that the narratives of patients are being lost amid welcome technical advances. Whereas before a diagnosis was dependent on teasing out an accurate story from the patient, doctors now have the luxury of high-tech instruments with which to obtain a diagnosis.