TY - JOUR T1 - Listening with a narrative ear JF - Canadian Family Physician JO - Can Fam Physician SP - e44 LP - e50 VL - 63 IS - 1 AU - Laurie Pereles AU - Roberta Jackson AU - Tom Rosenal AU - Lara Nixon Y1 - 2017/01/01 UR - http://www.cfp.ca/content/63/1/e44.abstract N2 - Objective To determine the value of adding a patient narrative to the clinical assessment of falls in the elderly.Design Qualitative study of interviews.Setting A fall prevention clinic in Calgary, Alta.Participants Fifteen older adults on a wait list for assessment by the fall clinic and the physiotherapists who assessed them.Methods Participants’ stories were audiorecorded and later transcribed and summarized. Stories were collected using open-ended questions, first inviting participants to tell the interviewer about themselves, and then the circumstances of their falls and their reflections on them. In a subsequent visit, transcriptions or summaries were returned to patients for member checking. Narratives were read and analyzed by all 4 investigators using a narrative approach and a close-reading technique. With the patients’ additional consent, stories were shared with the fall prevention team for their insights and reactions. Interviews with physiotherapists were audiorecorded and transcribed.Main findings The narrative analysis provided new insights into the attitudes about and perceptions of the causes of falls, their effects, and rehabilitation. Close reading exposed presentation of self, locus of control, and underlying social and emotional issues.Conclusion The addition of patient narratives to clinical assessments offers clinicians an understanding of patients’ perspectives, which can be used to better engage patients in rehabilitation. ER -