In the always marvelous Guardian, there's a story about how graphic novels and medical comics are proving powerful communication tools for patients and medical professionals.
From the piece...
At Penn State University Medical School, Michael Green teaches medical students how to make and appreciate comics. "I think comics are relevant to medicine in a number of ways," he said. They can help students learn about the doctor-patient relationship, how to communicate bad news, informed consent, empathy and the experience of illness from a patient's perspective.
"There's a growing number of adult-themed graphic stories which address medically relevant themes," he said. He singles out three that have recently been published: Mom's Cancer; Cancer Vixen, about a woman's experience with breast cancer; and Stitches by David Small, about recollections of a childhood experience with cancer.
"Each of these illustrates and writes about an important aspect of the illness experience."
In 2005, Mom's Cancer won an Eisner award – the comic book industry's equivalent of an Oscar – for "best digital comic". Fies said this professional recognition was "amazing" and the reaction from the medical community equally heart-warming.
Mom's Cancer comic by Brian Fies: side-effects Image: Brian Fies
"I got notes from nursing instructors in Australia who said they were using Mom's Cancer to train their students," said Fies. "I got an email from a cancer physician in Arizona who invited me to come speak to his group, some of whom said they would change the way they did their jobs because of what I'd written. That's immensely gratifying. That's huge! That's more impact than I expected to have on anything in my life."
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