Original Article(s)
Vol. 13 (2025)
Storytelling and creative writing for enhancement of empathy and well-being in health professionals: the “Verba Curant” study, a randomized trial
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Published: 19 December 2025
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Background: storytelling and creative writing can improve empathy and well-being. Few randomized controlled trials have been carried out so far in health care settings, generally with small sample sizes. Materials and Methods: in this study 175 health professionals working in a large general hospital were randomized into two groups: group 1 received theoretical narrative medicine education with 4 hours of distance education, while group 2 received the same theoretical narrative medicine education and a practice course of storytelling and creative writing with 8 hours of distance education in small groups. The empathic ability and psychological well-being were measured immediately before the start and at the end of the education program with the Jefferson scale and Psychological General Well-Being-Short form test (PGWB-S). Results: participants in group 2 showed a significant improvement of the mean PGWB-S index at variance with group 1. Two-way ANOVA showed a between-groups time per treatment difference with p=0.039. Empathy improved in both groups with a statistically significant change. No significant difference was found in between-groups comparison in the degree of improvement (p=0.25). Conclusions: storytelling and creative writing education that combines theory with practice is an effective strategy for improving health professionals' psychological well-being and empathic ability.
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Supporting Agencies
Compagnia di San PaoloHow to Cite
Storytelling and creative writing for enhancement of empathy and well-being in health professionals: the “Verba Curant” study, a randomized trial. (2025). Working Paper of Public Health, 13. https://doi.org/10.4081/wpph.2025.10531
Copyright (c) 2025 Enzo Grossi, Marinella Bertolotti, Antonella Cassinari, Mariateresa Dacquino, Antonio Maconi
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