Street Stories: Fostering Humanism in Family Medicine

Physicians frequently encounter social determinants of health such as homelessness, poverty, and addiction, that complicate clinical care and may contribute to emotional fatigue and burnout. While humanism in medicine has been associated with improved patient outcomes and physician well-being, it is often difficult to sustain amid systemic challenges. Medical education lacks sufficient opportunities for learners to engage meaningfully with marginalized populations in ways that reinforce humanistic values and advocacy. This study aimed to enhance humanistic engagement among residents and faculty through unstructured conversations with individuals experiencing homelessness at a community event.

Using a phenomenological approach, residents and faculty from a family medicine residency program participated in a community event serving individuals experiencing homelessness. After engaging in unstructured conversations with community members, participants submitted written reflections about their experiences. We analyzezd these narratives using thematic coding and consensus methodology to identify emerging themes.

Three central themes emerged from the qualitative analysis: humanistic reconnection, challenging assumptions, and moving from understanding to action. Participants reported the experience challenged prior assumptions, enhanced empathy, and renewed their motivation to address the structural determinants of health in clinical practice.

Direct engagement with individuals experiencing homelessness through community-based storytelling can reinforce humanism and promote advocacy, which may mitigate physician burnout. This study supports the integration of experiential, narrative-focused interventions into residency curricula as a means of fostering empathy and social responsiveness among family medicine trainees.