Theorizing about practice. Story telling and practical knowledge in cancer diagnoses

Purpose – The articles analyzes the organization of storytelling and its role in creating and sharing practical knowledge for cancer diagnosis in a medical community in Italy. Design/methodology/approach – The qualitative analysis draws upon different interactional data sets: naturally occurring diagnostic conversations among physicians in the ward, research interviews, video-based sessions in which physicians watch and discuss their diagnostic work. Findings – Our results highlight: a) the specific organization of storytelling practices in medical diagnostic work; b) three main functions that such storytelling practices play in supporting collaborative diagnostic work in the community of our study; c) how storytelling practices are resources on which participants rely across settings, including ad hoc reflexive meetings. Research limitations/implications – Our study was limited to one medical community in the Italian context. Practical implications – Results suggest that storytelling could be a powerful device to be used in educational activities with medical students since it allows to have access to diagnostic conversations informed by practical knowledge . Social implications – The paper highlights how a better understanding of practical knowledge and storytelling practices can improve the accomplishement of diagnostic work and the accuracy of the diagnosis in oncology. Originality/value – We aim to contribute to the understanding of the role that storytelling plays in the diagnostic work in an understudied and yet life-saving site such as oncology.