Theatrical Based Medicine: a new communication technique

Renato Giordano
TBM Inventor 
U.O.C Diabetes and Nutrition, S. Spirito Hospital pole, Rome

Medico Endocrinologo, lavora presso la UOC di Diabetologia e dietologia del Polo Ospedaliero Santo Spirito di Roma. E’ stato Presidente dell’Associazione Medici Diabetologi Lazio. Esperto in Comunicazione ha inventato e diffuso nel Mondo un metodo di comunicazione in Medicina basato sul Teatro che ha chiamato TBM. Attore, Regista e Autore, artisticamente ha all’ attivo circa 110 Regie teatrali in tutto il mondo ed ha scritto 31 commedie tutte rappresentate. E’ stato Direttore Artistico di molti Teatri ed Istituzioni pubbliche e private. Infine ha scritto molte canzoni, come paroliere vincendo un premio a Sanremo.

Theatre-Based Medicine (TBM) originates from the desire to complete the circle that unites Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) and Narrative Based Medicine (NBM). TBM is an on stage communication technique created by Renato Giordano that allows patients to acquire and reinforce methods and tools to improve physician patient and interdisciplinary communication, as well as communication within the health team, through techniques borrowed from theatre.

TBM uses theatre techniques to provide the physician (and the healthcare team) with valid tools, not only to manage the difficulties linked to the relationship with the patient, but also to give a more complete meaning to their own actions. Theatre-Based Clinical Practice requires focus on posture and interpretation techniques. Provided that a substantial portion of communication is non-verbal (55%) and paraverbal (38%), and only a small part is verbal (7%), focusing more on proxemics, mimesis, posture, voice, tone, timbre, volume, pauses and silences is necessary.

Similarly to EBM, the “literary/theatrical” part requires practical techniques based on Evidence (the reaction of the Audience). Those involved in Theatre have always tried to develop these techniques: in particular, TBM uses two of the most important techniques, i.e. the Stanislavsky’s and the Lee Strasberg’s American Actors Studio’s.

TBM focuses on Role Playing (RP): RP requires participants to represent, to recreate the reality and roles according to a modern scheme based on Aristotle’s “Poetics”.

TBM also uses Case History and helps clinical medicine by working on textual and interpretive skills in the practice of medicine. TBM by Giordano could represent an interesting circle that connects EBM and NBM through the use of theatrical techniques to break the FOURTH WALL (the one that makes communication difficult), and may become the most interesting way to get even closer to patient centred care.