Bibliotherapy and Narrative Medicine as Complementary Interventions for Emotional Healing and Patient-Centred Care: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Background: Pharmacological treatment remains central to modern healthcare, but clinical recovery is often shaped by factors that lie beyond the drug molecule itself: fear, trust, communication, emotional distress, health literacy, and the patient’s ability to make sense of illness. Bibliotherapy, understood as the structured use of reading for psychological support, and narrative medicine, understood as attentive engagement with patient stories, have been studied as low-cost complementary approaches that may strengthen emotional well-being and patient-centred care. Objective: To review evidence from 2014 to 2024 on bibliotherapy and narrative medicine as complementary, non-pharmacological interventions for emotional healing, therapeutic communication, patient-centred care, and treatment adherence. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched using PRISMA 2020 guidance and a PICOS framework. After de-duplication, title and abstract screening, and full-text appraisal, 29 studies were included in a qualitative narrative synthesis. Data were extracted on study design, population, intervention type, comparator, outcomes, and relevance to pharmacological care. Results: The synthesis suggests that bibliotherapy and related writing-based interventions can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, improve coping, and support emotional regulation, particularly when integrated with cognitive-behavioural or standard-care frameworks. Narrative medicine and reflective writing were associated with improved empathy, reflective capacity, communication quality, and patient trust. Evidence directly measuring medication adherence remains limited, but an indirect pathway is visible through improved mood, therapeutic alliance, and understanding of treatment. Conclusion: Bibliotherapy and narrative medicine should not be presented as substitutes for drug therapy. Their value lies in complementing pharmacological care by addressing emotional and communicative barriers that influence how patients understand, accept, and sustain treatment. Further controlled studies are needed in pharmacy and chronic-disease settings using objective adherence and patient-reported outcome measures.