Describing Storytelling as used in the TOUS study to an audience unfamiliar with this approach

The BJGP Research and Publishing Conference, held at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester in March 2025, was an inspiring and thought-provoking day, bringing together researchers, GPs, editors, and early-career academics. It provided a valuable platform to share research, gain feedback, and build connections across the primary care research community. I was honoured to present during the afternoon session. This experience gave me much to reflect on – both in terms of communicating my research and in how storytelling can be more effectively framed for audiences unfamiliar with qualitative or narrative methodologies.

Keynote and Morning Sessions

The day began with a warm welcome from BJGP Editor Dr Euan Lawson, followed by an excellent keynote from Professor Katherine Checkland titled “The myth of the emerging themes: why qualitative research needs theory.” Her talk made a strong case for the value of theory in grounding qualitative analysis, pushing back against the idea that themes simply “emerge” from data. This resonated with my own research, as realist evaluation is similarly theory-driven, aiming to understand how and why interventions work, for whom, and in what contexts. Professor Checkland’s keynote offered a timely reminder of the importance of making theoretical commitments visible, and how doing so can strengthen the contribution of qualitative studies to evidence-based practice.

I attended the morning oral presentations on Vulnerable Groups and Health Inequalities, which featured powerful and diverse research – from social prescribing referrals to suicide prevention in primary care. The energy in the room and the insightful questions highlighted a strong appetite for inclusive, equity-driven work.

My Presentation

In the afternoon, I presented on “Storytelling as an approach to understand how cultural activities support well-being in older people from global majority groups” My presentation drew on the TOUS study; it is exploring how cultural offers can be tailored within social prescribing pathways to better support older adults from global majority communities. I described how Storytelling was used alongside realist evaluation to capture participants’ lived experiences in a way that aligned with the ethos of person-centred care.

Overall, the presentation went well, and I received thoughtful, generous feedback. Several questions focused on how Storytelling differs from a typical qualitative interview. While I had addressed this briefly in the talk, I realised that, because many attendees were GPs or not from qualitative research backgrounds, it was important to explain this difference in greater depth and with clearer, more tangible examples.

Reflections and Future Plans

The BJGP Conference was a fantastic opportunity to learn, share, and grow as a researcher who has trained in anthropology and currently working in a medical sciences division. I left feeling more confident in communicating my work and more motivated than ever to bridge the gap between qualitative insight and health policy or practice. 

Attending the conference reminded me how energising it can be to step out of my immediate research context and engage with others working across the broad field of primary care. I came away with new ideas, including how Storytelling could be incorporated into clinical settings as a tool for patient engagement or even peer support. The structured-yet-open format of the day created many opportunities to connect with fellow researchers. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to present to a room of practitioners, many of whom shared a real interest in integrating more meaningful, culturally relevant practices into patient care.

The study mentioned in this blog is funded by a grant from UK Research and Innovation (MR/Y010000/1). The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the funder or the author’s host institution.