Listening to stories: valuing knowledge from patient experience

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Qualitative Research
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• Extensive literature supports learning from service users in professional education.
• Storytelling is recognized as an effective teaching strategy.
• A gap exists in understanding how students learn from patient stories during practice placements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore pre-qualifying students' perceptions of learning from patient stories.
• To address the knowledge gap regarding patient story learning in practice placements.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive phenomenological approach.
• In-depth, conversational interviews.
• Sample of twelve pre-qualifying nursing, midwifery, and social work students.

Main Results:

• Patient stories are a valuable resource for student learning.
• All interviewed students used patient stories to gain knowledge.
• Listening to patient narratives is a key learning strategy.

Conclusions:

• Service users are crucial learning resources.
• Educators should value patient stories as a knowledge source.
• Facilitating reflection on patient story learning experiences is recommended.