Doctors Tell Stories Too

Medical Knowledge and Narration in Blogs and Podcasts"

Abstract

Despite the generally low status of narratives in mainstream medical practice, it is more widespread than one might think, for example in doctor-patient communication and medical case histories. Furthermore, the usage of new media in medical training and public communication has called for a reconsideration of the value of narratives. Against this background, the present article explores doctors’ and other medical professionals’ storytelling practices in the context of weblogs and podcasts. The examples show that narratives can be employed for a range of reasons, including making the medical profession more accessible but also as an indirect means of criticizing bureaucratic processes. All the examples show that the narratives aim at involving the respective audiences and therefore often show a great degree of creativity and unexpected complexity.