Narrative Unreliability in Doctor-Patient Communication

Abstract

The study of patients’ accounts in terms of narrative unreliability is a productive linguistic trend which can significantly promote the process of establishing diagnosis and therefore it is worth paying attention to this concept within the anamnestic data in greater detail. In particular, the application of Gricean conversation maxims is potentially effective in the context of doctor-patient communication: case histories and illness narratives can be considered in terms of complying with maxims of quality, quantity, manner and relation.