Narrative medicine – a tool to reshape your ESP class

Abstract

Narrative medicine has become an independent field of medical humanities, which applies the practical principles of analyzing literature in the context of interpreting patients’ personal narratives in order to improve patient-centered care and restore contemporarily fragile doctor-patient relationships. Although its practical application can already be observed in a growing number of doctor-oriented courses supported by many academic centers around the world, its didactic potential as an innovative approach to teaching English as a foreign language, especially to medical students, seems yet unnoticed. The aim of this article is to provide a broader insight into the main original concept of narrative medicine, yet with particular attention being drawn to its application as an innovative practical didactic tool to transform the ESP courses attended by Polish students of medical faculties.