The Penn Current covered a newly published JAMA commentary by Zachary Meisel, MD, MPH, MS, an assistant professor of Emergency Medicine, and Jason Karlawish, MD, a professor of Medicine, calling for physicians to incorporate storytelling into the way in which they report research results to the public. “If individuals can link something about the science to a personal experience, it’s more likely to be ‘stickier’ for them,” says Meisel. “They’ll retain the information and put it into a context that allows them act on it. It helps them move from simply getting information to getting it and changing their behavior.” And in cases where negative stories are used to undermine public health initiatives -- such as in public discussion about vaccine safety -- Meisel said narratives can help to set the facts straight. “When stories are used to undermine science, we have to fight fire with fire,” he said.
Penn Current