Marrying story with science

Image credit: Suzy Hazelwood

Stories told with vivid imagery can change the way people think and inspire people to act. They have been used across millennia, from the hieroglyphs of Ancient Egypt to the tapestries of Medieval Europe.  

Often in Western culture, data is preferred over stories. This is particularly true in the medical world, where we rely on metrics like blood pressure, resting heart rates, oxygen levels, cholesterol levels, and white blood cell counts.

But stories are central to medical practice and policy because they are the stories of patients and healthcare workers. They need to be heard so that we can fully address health issues, health inequities, and healthcare workplaces and ensure policy reflects best practices for all.

Last week Current Oncology published our paper, Marrying Story with Science - The Impact of Outdated and Inconsistent Breast Cancer Screening Practices in Canada, co-written by Jennie Dale and Michelle Di Tomaso (Dense Breasts Canada co-founders) and me.

Narrated through the stories of women with late-stage breast cancer diagnoses and supported by the latest academic evidence, the paper demonstrates the need for policy and practice changes to prevent unnecessary mortality and morbidity.

We are grateful that the Current Oncology editorial team, guest editor Dr. Jean Seely, and reviewers welcomed this different approach in an academic medical journal that centred patient stories rather than patient cases.

While our target audiences for this Current Oncology paper are oncologists, radiologists, family doctors and policymakers, the generously shared stories of these women are worth a read for all.

Stories matter.