Interprofessional education (IPE) is a critical component of medical education and is affected by the characteristics of the clinical teams in which students and residents train. However, clinical teams are often shaped by professional silos and hierarchies which may hinder interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP). Narrative medicine, a branch of health humanities that focuses on close reading, reflective writing, and sharing in groups, could be an innovative approach for improving IPE and IPCP. In this report, we describe the structure, feasibility, and a process-oriented program evaluation of a narrative medicine program implemented in interprofessional team meetings in three academic primary care clinics. Program evaluation revealed that a year-long narrative medicine program with modest monthly exposure was feasible in academic clinical settings. Staff members expressed engagement and acceptability as well as support for ongoing implementation. Program success required administrative buy-in and sustainability may require staff training in narrative medicine. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s40037-019-0497-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Program evaluations explore the effectiveness and feasibility of new programs. An evaluation method using a mixed methods approach combines qualitative and quantitative data; this approach enables triangulation of data to provide more comprehensive understanding of a program and increase the trustworthiness of evaluation findings. Mixed methods evaluation can be resource intensive and requires expertise in both qualitative and quantitative methods. Program evaluation questions should be informed by program stakeholders and by the concerns of the field. In this chapter, the authors describe how to conduct a mixed methods program evaluation and explore its benefits and limitations. The authors draw on their experience of using a mixed methods approach to evaluate a year-long narrative medicine program in primary care clinics. Though not appropriate for all health humanities program evaluation, a mixed methods evaluation offers rich, multidimensional understandings of programs.