Leading Through Stories: How to Meaningfully Engage with Patient Stories

In the realm of healthcare, the power of storytelling is often an undervalued asset. Yet, it is through the rich tapestry of patient narratives that medical professionals can gain insights far beyond the reach of traditional medical education. This very concept is the focus of a Leading Through Stories podcast episode featuring Dr. Mike Lang, the founder of Common Language Digital Storytelling, and his co-author, cancer survivor Vikram Bubber. They delve into the transformative potential of patient stories in medicine and how these narratives can significantly enhance the empathy and understanding of healthcare providers.

Patient stories are not merely recollections of medical events but are windows into the emotional and psychological journeys of individuals facing health challenges. Vikram Bubber’s own experience with Rhabdomyosarcoma serves as a poignant example of the resilience and vulnerability that accompany a cancer diagnosis. By sharing his story digitally, Vikram does not just recount his battle but invites listeners to walk alongside him through his transformative journey. It is in these shared experiences that healthcare providers can find deeper connections with those they serve, fostering a more compassionate and patient-centered approach to care.

The episode also discusses the crucial role of digital storytelling in the context of continuing medical education. The digital narrative, when crafted with care and intention, serves as a dynamic educational tool. It offers healthcare professionals a nuanced understanding of patient experiences, one that goes beyond textbooks and lectures. As Mike explains, the art of creating a digital story is about honouring the storyteller, ensuring that their voice is not only heard but also felt and understood.

The conversation sheds light on a groundbreaking paper by Dr. Lang and Vikram Bubber titled ‘Pressure: How to Meaningfully Engage with Patient Stories.‘ in the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences. This paper presents three pivotal questions designed to guide healthcare professionals in their engagement with patient narratives. These questions encourage active learning and reflection, pushing providers to absorb and act upon the insights shared by patients. It marks a significant step toward integrating patient stories into the fabric of medical literature, thus shaping a more holistic form of healthcare wisdom.

Question 1:
What resonates with me in the story?

Question 2:
What does this mean to me?

Questions 3:
What wisdom can I draw from the story?

Through this episode, the audience is invited to rethink the intersection of storytelling and medicine. It is a call to embrace the emotional depth and instructional value of patient narratives. The podcast emphasizes that each story is not just a recount but an opportunity for growth and learning. By engaging with these stories, healthcare providers can improve the quality of care they provide, understanding the varied challenges their patients face throughout their healthcare journeys.

In essence, this podcast episode is more than just a discussion; it is a blueprint for a healthcare system that values the stories of its patients as much as their symptoms. It is a testament to the fact that, within each narrative, lies the potential to transform the practice of medicine and enrich the lives of both patients and providers.

About the Authors

Michael Lang is a health researcher, filmmaker, professional Digital Storytelling facilitator and Adjunct Assistant Professor with the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary. He has facilitated the creation of over 900 digital stories with a diverse cross-section of patients, family caregivers, and health care professionals around the world and founded a training organization for Digital Storytelling facilitation called Common Language Digital Storytelling. Mike has also directed and produced four feature-length documentaries, two short documentaries, and three web series about the human health experience in addition to numerous health education curriculums. His professional and research focus is on using digital storytelling and documentary filmmaking in education, advocacy, research, and a therapeutic capacity within healthcare and wellness contexts. Connect with him via www.mikelangstories.com or commonlanguagedst.org.

Vikram Bubber is a childhood and young adult cancer survivor. Vikram has been a patient advocate for more than 20 years and a community advocate for the last 6 years. He is actively engaged in public speaking at different post-secondary institutions and working on several committees within different health authorities and organizations both locally and nationally.

About Leading Through Stories

Everyone has a story to tell—and what we do with that story can create lasting impact. Every episode, Leading Through Stories, helps unravel the how and why of digital storytelling with host Kristy Wolfe.

Life is made up of meaningful moments—which ones do you want to share?

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Isolation to Impact: DST in Cancer Care – Co-Created

One gesture can keep a patient in care. That’s the charge running through our conversation with Jack Bones, a transgender cancer survivor whose digital story takes us from a tense biopsy room to a stage where an audience of clinicians wiped away tears and leaned into hard, necessary dialogue. We walk through how a politicized identity collided with late-stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma, how bias nearly closed a door, and how a single act of compassion reopened it.Episode Key Messages• the craft of digital storytelling as patient advocacy• bias in clinical encounters and its real-world risks• the technician’s gesture that restored safety and trust• workshop process from script to screening• reactions at the BC Cancer Summit and productive dialogue• reaching missing audiences in shame and stigma work• plans to use film and allegory for future stories• the ocean moment as a metaphor for freedom• how stories support training, orientation and culture changeOther Links MentionedRead this episode's blog postWatch Jack's digital storyJack created their digital story in a BC Cancer workshop facilitated by Krystle SchofieldCheck out Jack's work, Brassthorn ArtAbout Our GuestJackdaw Bones describes them self as an "eremite" and occasionally ventures out of their home in the woods to show the shiny things they've made, in true covid style.They've been a practising artist ever since their youth, using the lenses of cameras and inks to explore ideas of self, relationships to the natural world, and the terror/joy of living.Jack is a dropout from an art school that has since disappeared to make way for training industrial workers, though they consider their experiences with disastrous experiments over the years their most valuable teacher. They revel in the beautiful chaos of learning from other artists, from books, other artists, and fucking up. The process is where the joy lay for them, and indeed that joy is built into the foundation of every piece they make.They are disabled, and a cancer survivor. They have worked hard over the years to get to the level where they can produce art without sacrificing their health, so while their pieces may not be perfect, the imperfection belies the passion, determination, joy, and gratitude they feel when practising. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1. Isolation to Impact: DST in Cancer Care 25:57
2. The Storyteller’s Yellow Pages 33:23
3. Neurodevelopment, Advocacy & Heart Families 01:06:11
4. Shame, Story, & Healing in Medicine 47:38
5. Resilience Stories in Vet Education 24:22

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