Culturally Appropriate Storytelling to Improve Blood Pressure
Authors: Jeffrey Cohn
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2011)

Letters19 July 2011Culturally Appropriate Storytelling to Improve Blood PressureJeffrey Cohn, MD, MHCMJeffrey Cohn, MD, MHCMFrom Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, Philadelphia, PA 19141.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-155-2-201107190-00015 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:I found Houston and colleagues' article (1) to be quite interesting. I feel certain that the use of storytellers from the patient population was critical to the success of their intervention. What the article lacked, and what I think that the success of the intervention can be attributed to, was the role of positive deviance.The concept of positive deviance has been defined as follows:[I]n every community there are certain individuals or groups [the positive deviants] whose uncommon behaviors and strategies enable them to find better solutions to problems than their peers, while having access to ...References1. Houston TK, Allison JJ, Sussman M, Horn W, Holt CL, Trobaugh J, et al. Culturally appropriate storytelling to improve blood pressure: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2011;154:77-84. [PMID: 21242364] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Positive Deviance Initiative. Accessed at www.positivedeviance.org/ on 14 June 2011. Google Scholar3. Marsh DR, Schroeder DG, Dearden KA, Sternin J, Sternin M. The power of positive deviance. BMJ. 2004;329:1177-9. [PMID: 15539680] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Marra AR, Guastelli LR, de Araújo CM, dos Santos JL, Lamblet LC, Silva M, et al. Positive deviance: a new strategy for improving hand hygiene compliance. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2010;31:12-20. [PMID: 19925270] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Buscell P; Plexus Institute. More we than me: how the fight against MRSA led to a new way of collaborating at Albert Einstein Medical Center. Deeper Learning. 2008;1:1-15. Accessed at www.plexusinstitute.org/resource/collection/6528ED29-9907-4BC7-8D00-8DC907679FED/Albert_Einstein_Medical_Center_PD_MRSA_Story_-_Final.pdf on 14 June 2011. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, Philadelphia, PA 19141.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoCulturally Appropriate Storytelling to Improve Blood Pressure Thomas K. Houston , Jeroan J. Allison , Marc Sussman , Wendy Horn , Cheryl L. Holt , John Trobaugh , Maribel Salas , Maria Pisu , Yendelela L. Cuffee , Damien Larkin , Sharina D. Person , Bruce Barton , Catarina I. Kiefe , and Sandral Hullett Metrics Cited ByChronic disease health literacy in First Nations people: A mixed methods studyUsefulness of rights based written narratives on sexual and reproductive health among HIV-infected women in Western Maharashtra, India 19 July 2011Volume 155, Issue 2Page: 134-135KeywordsBehaviorBlood pressureConflicts of interestHealth careHygieneMalnutritionMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureusPrevention, policy, and public health ePublished: 19 July 2011 Issue Published: 19 July 2011 CopyrightCopyright © 2011 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...