Narrative-based supervision

Abstract

John Launer presents ‘narrative-based supervision’ (NBS) as a method for discussing complex and challenging medical cases with peers and trainees. NBS is part of a comprehensive approach to family medicine developed in the United Kingdom in the last twenty years called narrative-based primary care. Narrative-based primary care regards all conversations with patients or between professionals as collaborations for creating useful patient narratives. Almost every skill that makes for an effective patient encounter is also applicable for colleagues engaging with one another. NBS is used in one-to-one conversations with peers and learners, in small groups, and in large groups with or without facilitators. This chapter describes the origin and principles of narrative-based primary care, their application to clinical encounters, the skills involved (with numerous clinician-patient and clinician-clinician vignettes), and how these skills are used in peer supervision to improve caregiving. The companion chapter is ‘Training in Narrative-Based Supervision: Conversations Inviting Change.’