Table 4 Quotes from participants and field notes for the ‘Self-narration as an emotional and cognitive learning mechanism’ domain

2.a

To understand the experience of patients and caregivers and learn to teach with them, we must first know ourselves…and the only way is to know ourselves by working on ourselves…personal growth goes hand in hand with professional growth. Self-narrative in this course helped make this fundamental transition. (FG_01)

2.b

Telling the caregiver's personal story…it was an important exercise in the sense that it helped me better understand how I am in relation to my story and my emotions…it helped me a lot to rebalance some parts that were imbalanced. (INT_02)

2.c

It’s an excellent tool for giving motivation…it promotes active participation because there are emotions behind it, and one is personally involved…it’s what has most contributed to developing deeper thoughts on the doctor–patient relationship. (FG_05)

2.d

The participants in the course were divided into heterogeneous groups with the aim of analyzing a story and identifying humanizing dimensions according to a specific framework. During this activity, there was no distinction between patients and professionals, and the focus of the discussion shifted to the facts of the story rather than the emotional experience.(FN)

2.e

The narration of oneself was to rediscover that there’s no difference between me and the patient…we are two human beings…there is the rediscovery of how vulnerable I am and how vulnerable the other is…otherwise, the risk is to see the patient as a body to be fixed. (FG_09)