The doctor patient relationship starts with a story. Doctors' notes, a patient's chart, the recommendations of ethics committees and insurance justifications all hinge on written and verbal narrative interaction. The "practice" of narrative profoundly affects decision making, patient health and treatment and the everyday practice of medicine. In this edited collection, the contributors provide conceptual foundations, practical guidelines and theoretical considerations central to the practice of narrative ethics.

Rita Charon, M.D. is Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the College of Physicians and Surgeons and Director of the Program in Humanities and Medicine at Columbia University. Martha M. Montello is Associate Professor of History and the Philosophy of Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical School.

AcknowledgementsIntroduction: Memory and Anticipation: The Practice of Narrative Ethics, Rita Charon and Martha M. MontelloPart I: Narrative Knowledge1. Narratives of Human Plight: A Conversation with Jerome Bruner, Jerome Bruner2. The Ethics of Medicine, as Revealed in Literature, Wayne Booth3. Like an Open Book: Reliability, Intersubjectivity, and Textuality in Bioethics, Laurie Zoloth and Rita CharonPart II: Narrative Components of Bioethics4. Context: Backward, Sideways, and Forward, Hilde Lindemann Nelson5. Voice in the Medical Narrative, Suzanne Poirer6. Time and Ethics, Rita Charon7. The Idea and Character, Anne Hunsaker Hawkins8. Plot: Framing Contingency and Choice in Bioethics, Tod Chambers and Kathryn Montgomery9. The Reader's Response and Why It Matters in Biomedical Ethics, Charles M. Anderson and Martha MontelloPart III: Case Studies in Narrative Ethics 10. The Narrative of Rescue in Pediatric Practice, Walter M. Robinson11. Beyond the Authoritative Voice: Casting a Wide Net in Ethics Consultation, Susan B. Rubin12. Of Symbols and Silence: Using Narrative and Its Interpretation to Foster Physician Understanding, Marcia Day Childress13. Narrative Understanding and Methods in Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Richard Martinez14. In the Abscence of Narrative, Julia E. ConnellyPart IV: Consequences of Using Narrative Methods15. Narrative Ethics and Institutional Impact, Howard Brody16. Reconsidering Action: Day-to-Day Ethics in the Work of Medicine, John D. Lantos17. The Color of the Wallpaper: Training for Narrative Ethics, Anne Hudson JonesPart V: The Narrative Future of Ethics Practice18. The Hyphenated Space: Liminality in the Doctor-Patient Relationship, Ronald A. Carson19. Narrative Ethics, Gene Stories, and the Hermeneutics of Consent Forms, Larry R. Churchill20. Narrative, Ethics, and Pain: Thinking with Stories, David B. Morris21. The Story Inside, Joanne Trautmann BanksNotes on ContributorsPermissionsIndex