| Patients and medical professionals come together to learn about the patient's illness. Understanding how they construct meaning about the illness and how they understand their relationship can lead to a richer perspective on both illness and healing. This perspective supports better health care and encourages patients to accept greater responsibility for their health. Traditionally, medical professionals have concentrated on biomedical aspects of illness, to the exclusion of the psycho-social considerations. However, an empowerment-based practice of healthcare is developing that emphasizes caring for the whole person. New ways of knowing about the medical encounter are appropriate in exploring holistic healthcare because we are "seeing" the patient/medical professional encounter in a different light.;Comparisons were made between the constructions of illness as viewed by the patient and medical professionals. Support for a mind-body relationship to illness was found in these comparisons. Implications for development of holistic medical education and patient education were proposed as a result of this research.;This inquiry explored the question, "What does this illness mean?" by asking medical professionals and patients how they saw the recovery process. They used the language of imagery and storytelling to address the question. Ten participants drew images throughout the recovery of five patients' illnesses lasting less than 12 weeks. Representative illnesses included excessive uterine bleeding, two heart attacks, an infection from a cat bite, and a broken neck. Drawings were systematically analyzed and accompanying stories elicited from the participants. |
