Medical Humanities and Narrative Ethics in Oncology (Seminar, Switzerland, 18-20 October 2013)

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By CentreForMedicalHumanities.org Research Team | Last verified: September 2026

Educational Seminar Summary: Medical Humanities and Narrative Ethics in Oncology

Category: Professional educational seminar in medical humanities and narrative ethics

Key Topics Covered: Patient narrative formats, prognostic communication, bad news delivery, narrative ethics principles

Event Details: 18-20 October 2013, Bellinzona, Switzerland

Target Audience: Oncology health professionals including physicians, psychologists, nurses, and social workers

Learning Focus: Integration of medical humanities to support patient-centered care and shared decision-making through narrative understanding

Ethical Framework: Explores foundational principles of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice through case-study analysis of narrative ethics

Intended Outcome: Equips participants with conceptual and practical instruments to capture and address patient narratives in oncology consultations

Medical Humanities and Narrative Ethics in Oncology: Prognosis, Destiny and Bad News
18-20 October 2013
Bellinzona, Switzerland

In the age of participatory medicine, where health professionals encourage and value patients as full partners, patient narrative is the basis for shared decision making. Practicing patient-centred care through the integration of narrative in the consultation enables patients to be heard and their ideas, concerns, and expectations addressed. By drawing from the tradition of medical humanities, this seminar equips participants with conceptual and practical instruments first, to understand what ‘patient narrative’ is in its different formats and, second, to capture and deal with patient narrative in the field of oncology. More specifically, this seminar will analyze patient narrative in relation to three main events: the communication of prognosis, the confrontation between prognosis and destiny and the breaking of bad news.

Overall, this seminar is expected to enrich understanding of the foundational principles of ethical decision making (e.g. autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice) through the illustration and a case-study analysis of the principles of narrative ethics.

Attendance to the seminar is recommended to all health professionals active in the field of oncology, including physicians, psychologists, nurses and social workers.

For more information, please download the Bellinzona Flyer.