Better Stories

The ability to elicit an individual's personal narrative is a vital component of what we do as physicians. Without understanding what drives our patients, we have no context with which to make shared decisions that are consistent with and respectful of their overall goals. In the realm of nephrology, patient narratives can provide a valuable framework for such nuanced treatment decisions as initiating dialysis, determining transplant candidacy, and discussing conservative care. Though culturally-sensitive methods of using patient narratives have been successful in certain marginalized populations, building the trust required to obtain these narratives can be a challenging, intricate process.

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