Values, culture, narrative and medical education: The case for a renewed focus.

Abstract

There are gaps in medical education that have been subject to little or no critical scrutiny (1). Recent literature, including Bearman et al.'s contribution in this issue, underscores the imperative by exploring the relationship between culture, values, narrative and medical education (2-5). Culture is a contested concept, but it influences pedagogy, teaching and learning (2, 3, 5), so there is a compelling case for further research and theory development to bring about a better understanding of culture with its concomitant values and narratives both in medical education and healthcare writ large.