Medical narratives and the teaching of communication in context

The use of narrative for teaching has power and validity. The medical curri culum lends itself well to a narrative approach, given the tradition of sto ry-telling in medicine, and the ability of an individual story to act as th e starting-point for problem-based study. The course reported here builds a rt these narrative traditions to teach medical communication skills and to illustrate some common problems encountered in primary care. The paper repo rts on the dramatization over four sessions of the stories of a young coupl e who separately seek medical advice. One is a young woman seeking the 'mor ning after pill' the other a young man-the partner of the woman, though stu dents do not know this-presenting with a urethral discharge. The couple art ! played by professional role-players who interact with second-year student s playing the doctor. Students are given extensive notes on the presenting issues, and on how they might be managed.