The poetry of medicine

Abstract

Outlining an educational initiative for those who work in the National Health Service (NHS), this article argues that literary reflection has been too easily seen as a simple tool which may improve the practitioner’s empathic skills and benefit patient-centred care. Using anecdotal feedback, the author reports ways in which a series of literary workshops held for professionals in the NHS have added to practitioners’ general sense of well-being. Feedback shows that participants perceived literature in the workshop setting as being more than an enabler of ‘empathy’. They reported that reflecting on literature in a group setting is an opportunity to think about their own autonomy, pleasure and creativity. The article concludes with a reflection about priorities in regulatory culture, its relationship to burnout, and ideas for future work.