The quest for diagnosis - a narrative analysis of patient journeys
Abstract
This paper presents an analysis of narratives written by patients for a series in the British Medical Journal titled ‘A Patient’s Journey’. Narratives written by patients with rare diseases were selected and analysed as quest narratives. Two notable features of the narrative were the lack of helpers on the journey and the shock of diagnosis. Also notable was the lack of mention, in these accounts of journeys, of places visited.
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