By helping medical students gain access to other worlds, literature can help them imagine what it's like to be ill or old or disabled or poor. He then tries to humanize his fellow patient by writing a story about his life, but gets it all wrong. On the other hand, they're obligated to try and understand the view of the other. There is a growing body of scientific literature that suggests people learn most efficiently through narratives. In fact, that's the way physicians have traditionally passed on their clinical knowledge to students and residents.
Patients also communicate with their doctors by telling stories.
They might say it's impossible to stop smoking because of this or that, and he works to change the plot. They've got to make sense of singular events. Despite these links between literature and practice, using fiction rather than actual case studies has some clear advantages. Medical students tend to respond more freely in ethical discussions that involve fictional characters. Further, there is no right answer in literature.