• Sardorbek Isroilov

  Author

The article explores the application of graphic medicine as a device to tell chronic disease stories, and how it could present a different platform of narrative agency, and provide more narratives to patients. As a visual, written format, graphic medicine offers patients a unique means of narrating their lived experience, which is difficult to accomplish within the conditions of traditional healthcare discourse that has a tendency to belittle the voice of the patient. Through the analysis of the chosen works in graphic medicine, this paper will show that the medium makes patients take ownership of the stories of their illness, thereby encouraging them to become self-advocates and enhance the healing of their emotions. Furthermore, it is proven that graphic medicine can positively impact relations between patients and doctors, creating empathy and understanding, and changing the attitude of the population to chronic disease. The article points out the potential of graphic medicine in improving communication in healthcare, and it can be a valuable tool in patient-centred care and medical education. Still, it should be researched in the future to learn the particular effects of graphic medicine on various chronic diseases, how it can be applied in health education, and how it can be deployed on online platforms to support interactions with patients. This paper highlights how the concept of graphic medicine is revolutionary in transforming how chronic illness is represented, construed, and narrated in the medical profession as well as in the wider society.

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