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The Narrative Exercise: Introduction To Therapeutic Communication In The Psychiatry Clerkship, David A. Garrison, Julia Frank

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Introduction: In medical school, much time is devoted to teaching students to elicit disease-centered histories from their patients. The narrative exercise supplements this traditional focus by requiring students to develop a person-centered narrative for one patient under their care. While the ultimate test of a diagnosis is the verification of the diagnosis by tests or treatment outcome, the ultimate test of a patient-centered narrative is whether the patient accepts it as a legitimate characterization of his or her experience.

Methods: The psychiatry clerkship directors at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and George Washington University School of Medicine have …