Significant changes in the Italian healthcare system pose important challenges for health professionals in managing patient care and treatment pathways. The aging population and rising prevalence of chronic diseases require complex and personalized care approaches. Moreover, the implementation of digital technologies, while enhancing management efficiency, may limit the time available for doctor-patient interactions. In this context, narrative medicine plays a crucial role in integrating various clinical perspectives and refocusing on the patient's subjective experience, helping to overcome fragmentation in care pathways.
Qualitative research has played a key role in narrative medicine, providing methods to explore healthcare professionals' and patients' experiences. In particular, narrative research examines life stories, illness journeys, and patient-provider relationships, uncovering the symbolic, cultural, and emotional aspects of care, which helps foster more empathetic clinical practices.
This presentation discusses a qualitative narrative research study conducted in the field of narrative medicine, focusing on exploring the subjective experiences of 23 paediatric patients with headaches aged 11 to 17, recruited at a specialized neurology center. Data were collected through in-depth narrative interviews and analysed using narrative and thematic approaches. Results revealed different ways of describing illness experiences, with emerging themes related to pain description, social impact, coping strategies, and future perceptions. Based on these narratives, a prototypical first-person narrative was created to serve as a clinical tool that supports dialogue and reflection in care processes.
The presentation will further explore the role and impact of qualitative methodologies in narrative medicine, comparing tools and approaches used in research on illness experiences and care pathways. Special focus will be on how these methods help understand the complexity of individual and social factors affecting healthcare, emphasizing their importance for clinical practice and health policy.