The problem with … using stories as a source of evidence and learning

Rick Iedema

doi:10.1136/bmjqs-2021-014221

The problem with … using stories as a source of evidence and learning

Rick Iedema

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This commentary is a response to the growing trend in health care to use stories as evidence for amending care practices and behaviours. It points to a pervasive misunderstanding of the role of stories in the patient safety and quality improvement literature; namely, that stories can be treated as € information'. Doing so misses the significance of the socio-cultural dynamics that are the foundation of story-telling and story-sharing. The Commentary points out that story dynamics are unique for negotiating complexity and situations that do not afford simple, categorical, elegant answers. It reminds us that the story's cardinal value is moving us rather than informing us. Reducing the story to suit the transactional, technical and informational demands of € past-conforming systems' means sacrificing its potential for behavioural-psychological novelty and lived transformation.

Original language	English
Article number	bmjqs-2021-014221
Pages (from-to)	234-237
Number of pages	4
Journal	BMJ quality & safety
Volume	31
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2021-014221
Publication status	Published - 3 Mar 2022

Keywords

health policy
health professions education
healthcare quality improvement

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10.1136/bmjqs-2021-014221

Cite this

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abstract = "This commentary is a response to the growing trend in health care to use stories as evidence for amending care practices and behaviours. It points to a pervasive misunderstanding of the role of stories in the patient safety and quality improvement literature; namely, that stories can be treated as € information'. Doing so misses the significance of the socio-cultural dynamics that are the foundation of story-telling and story-sharing. The Commentary points out that story dynamics are unique for negotiating complexity and situations that do not afford simple, categorical, elegant answers. It reminds us that the story's cardinal value is moving us rather than informing us. Reducing the story to suit the transactional, technical and informational demands of € past-conforming systems' means sacrificing its potential for behavioural-psychological novelty and lived transformation.",

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The problem with … using stories as a source of evidence and learning

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Keywords

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