Graphic medicine is a form of literature that uses comics, graphic novels, and other forms of media to explore themes related to health, illness, and the healthcare experience. By combining a narrative approach with visuals, graphic medicine offers a personal, empathetic approach to complex, and, oftentimes, sensitive medical topics. Through this intersection of art and education, graphic medicine encourages dialogue around these issues that can help contribute to medical education and provide emotional support.
Graphic medicine encourages compassionate care by fostering empathy. Through visual storytelling, this media helps healthcare providers to recognize suffering, to feel for the person suffering both physically and emotionally, and to have the motivation to help alleviate that suffering. By exploring stories of illness, grief, recovery, and more, healthcare providers understand patients better which can enhance the quality of care and the overall patient-provider relationship. In addition, much of graphic medicine can also act as a way to inform patients by providing them the ability to validate their own experiences.
For further reading on why graphic medicine matters, explore the links below:
The Fotonovela as a Healthcare Communication Tool
Difficult Doctors, Difficult Patients: Building Empathy
Teaching Confidentiality through Comics at One Spanish Medical School
Graphic Pathographies and the Ethical Practice of Person-Centered Medicine
You've likely heard of comics and graphic novels, but what is the difference between them, and what are fotonovelas?
While all these are forms of visual storytelling, each has distinct differences between them that can shape their purpose and impact on the reader.
Comics are typically shorter and episodic, combining images and text to form a narrative, often with more simplified art and speech bubbles. Think of Sunday cartoons in newspapers or Marvel and DC comic books. They can be serialized, with many comic strips compiled into a single volume. In graphic medicine, comics can be used to convey short snippets of a person's illness, offering a glimpse into their emotions.
Graphic novels are longer, often containing a single, cohesive story. Because of their length, they can explore deeper into events or themes, using both images and text to provide a more thorough exploration. In graphic medicine, graphic novels allow for more detailed storytelling about an individual's medical experience
Fotonovelas, like comics, are often short and combine photography with dialogue rather than illustrations. The visual stories tend to have a soap opera-like feel, focusing on dramatic and romantic stories. Popular in Latin America, this form of graphic medicine can be used to convey health information or personal experiences in a familiar form of media to enhance communication.