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Family Practice Vol. 18, No. 4, 425-429
© Oxford University Press 2001

Unravelling empowering internal voices—a case study on the interactive use of illness diaries

Per Stensland and Kirsti Malterud

Division for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, Norway.

Background. The article is part of a study of an illness diary method for improving clinical communication with patients suffering from long-standing illness without clinical findings.

Objective. The aim of this study was to demonstrate how patient empowering can be approached through a process of shared insight in a personal illness description.

Methods. This was a single case study from three encounters with a 48-year-old woman suffering from headache, who participated in the illness diary study. Theoretical sampling was used to select the presented case from the sample. The material comprises sections of notes and transcripts from audiotapes.

Results. During the encounters, the medical dialogue is changed to include the patient's internal dialogues on her illness and her ways of coping. Her body language is approached and met, and its empowering potential is explored in the dialogue.

Conclusion. The reflective practitioner may contribute to transform a consultation from repetitive patterns to a dialogue based on the patient's own coping resources.

Keywords. Case study, clinical method, diary, general practice, psychosomatic.


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