Can Narrative Medicine Methods Improve Well-Being in Patients With GI Malignancies

This clinical trial assesses whether narrative medicine methods may improve the sense of well-being among gastrointestinal (GI) (digestive system) cancer patients. Narrative medicine is a clinical approach where providers can use a patient's own narrative (perspective) of their illness to promote healing and resilience. By applying narrative medicine's main tool, close reading, to clinical practice, clinicians learn to listen and attend to patients more deeply. This allows for freer communication and the creation of a healthcare encounter that centers on the psychological and emotional well being of the patient in addition to their medical conditions. Narrative medicine can include close reading, creative or reflective writing, and discussion. These methods may help patients with GI cancer to reflect on their life stories, both inside and outside of their illness experience, and help them gather skills to optimize their well-being.