Abstract

Interactions between patients (or users), professionals
and provider organisations in health and social care are increasingly being seen as part of a complex adaptive
system. In such interactions the story or narrative that
is told is not only a powerful expression of the contacts,
connections and communications between these agents, but also serves both as a model of, and as a model for the development of their co-operation. Such a system is self-organising and allows users to contribute, but also enables them to develop as autonomously participating systems themselves, hence increasing control over their own experiences. It may give rise to consequences, therefore, for the way future health provision is organised, because in such a paradigm stories are more than just reports (or representations): they identify how people like to organise their lives.