Some Basic Concepts of Family Medicine Explained by Means of Fables (Part 1 of 2): Uncertainty, Complexity Community, and Variability

It is necessary to achieve more meaningful images and ideas of the fundamental concepts of Family Medicine, to facilitate its transfer to clinical practice. But, these concepts can be difficult to understand, discern, interpret, intuit and explain, even for experienced physicians in the specialty. The fiction based on scientific research of these concepts can help this task. Science and art are not mutually exclusive. Creative writing can make scientific communication more powerful. We remember stories because our brains are connected to: we find them more interesting and it is more likely that information is understood and remembered if it is presented as narrative instead of theoretical exposure. Artists and writers seek truth as much as scientists. They incorporate facts with experiences to give them context and meaning. And the stories deal not only with what is true, but also with what is possible. Through fiction, you can discover something about the crucial and basic concepts of family medicine that theory does not count. In this scenario, the fable is an adult education method that can serve to intuitively understand abstract concepts by linking them to specific situations, for facilitating their assimilation. In this way, we present the following fundamental concepts of Family Medicine through fables: Uncertainty, Complexity, Community, and Variability.

Keywords: Family Practice; Fables; Metaphors; Uncertainty; Complexity; Community; Variability.