Metaphorical Medicine: Using Metaphors To Enhance Communication with Patients Who Have Pulmonary Disease
Authors: Alejandro C. Arroliga
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2002)

Medical Writings3 September 2002Metaphorical Medicine: Using Metaphors To Enhance Communication with Patients Who Have Pulmonary DiseaseAlejandro C. Arroliga, MD, Sara Newman, PhD, David L. Longworth, MD, and James K. Stoller, MD, MSAlejandro C. Arroliga, MD, Sara Newman, PhD, David L. Longworth, MD, and James K. Stoller, MD, MSAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-137-5_Part_1-200209030-00037 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Although the importance of enhancing communication with patients has been emphasized and is the subject of recent editorial reminders (1), little formal attention has been given to the way pulmonary physicians speak with patients regarding the underlying nature of their chest illnesses or the rationale, risks, or benefits of treatment. In many forums, including business (2, 3), education (4, 5), politics (6), and medicine (7-15), using metaphors has been advocated as a way to enhance teaching and communication and as a means to achieve better insight into institutional character. Derived from the Greek root "metapheiren" meaning "willing to transfer" and ...References1. Duffy FD. Dialogue: the core clinical skill [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 1998;128:139-41. [PMID: 9441575] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Morgan G. Images of Organization. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications; 1997. Google Scholar3. Morgan G. Imagin-I-zation: New Mindsets for Seeing, Organizing, and Managing. San Francisco, CA: Barrett-Koehler Publishers; 1993. Google Scholar4. Feltovich PJ, Spiro RJ, Coulson RL. The nature of conceptual misunderstanding in biomedicine: the deep structure of complex ideas and the development of misconceptions.. In: Evans DA, Patel VL, eds. Cognitive Science in Medicine. Cambridge, MA: MIT Pr; 1989:112-72. Google Scholar5. 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[PMID: 8533926] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar11. Hodgkin P. Medicine is war: and other medical metaphors. Br Med J Clin Res Ed. 1985;291:1820-1. [PMID: 3936590] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar12. Sontag S. Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and Its Metaphors. New York: Doubleday; 1990. Google Scholar13. Spiro HM. Are metaphors reshaping medicine? Drug Therapy. 1990;20/12:12A-12D. Google Scholar14. Annas GJ. Reframing the debate on health care reform by replacing our metaphors. N Engl J Med. 1995;332:744-7. [PMID: 7854386] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar15. Demaitre L. Medieval notions of cancer: malignancy and metaphor. Bull Hist Med. 1998;72:609-37. [PMID: 9879121] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar16. . Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster; 1984:746. Google Scholar17. Lakoff G, Johnson M. Metaphors We Live by. Chicago: Univ of Chicago Pr; 1980. Google Scholar18. Johnson M. Metaphor and Symbolic Activity. 1995;10:157-246. CrossrefGoogle Scholar19. Honeck R. Metaphor and Symbolic Activity. 1996;11:1-100. CrossrefGoogle Scholar20. Ortony A, ed. Metaphor and Thought. New York: Cambridge Univ Pr; 1993. Google Scholar21. Lakoff G. The contemporary theory of metaphor.. In: Ortony A, eds. Metaphor and Thought. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ Pr; 1993:202-52. Google Scholar22. Hall D. On Language: A fear of metaphors. New York Times. 14 July 1985; section 6: 2. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Alejandro C. Arroliga, MD; Sara Newman, PhD; David L. Longworth, MD; James K. Stoller, MD, MSCorresponding Author: James K. Stoller, MD, MS, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, A90, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195; e-mail, [email protected]org.Current Author Addresses: Drs. Arroliga, Longworth, and Stoller: Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106.Dr. Newman: Department of English, Kent State University, PO Box 5190, Kent, OH 44242-0001. 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