in Quebec, doctors prescribe “literary remedies” to their patients

They have drawn up a list of around fifty books “to prescribe”, in particular to allow patients to access additional reliable information.

Prescription books to help patients get better. It is an experiment carried out in the city of Quebec, in Canada, where the hospital has established a list of books that doctors can prescribe and that patients can find in the city’s libraries.

In Quebec, these books are called “literary remedies” and prescribed by the doctor. The initiative was born a year ago at the CHU de Québec-Université de Laval after a project launched by Patrice Lemay, the director of university affairs education. “We often know that consultations are very quick, time is limited to see as many people as possible during the day. Sometimes we leave a little disappointed, saying to ourselves ‘I didn’t have all the answers to my questions’. But In this way, the specialist has access to a list of collections which are accessible in libraries near our hospitals and there, we can give references in addition to information to patients.explains Patrice Lemay.

These book prescriptions cover four fields: pediatrics, psychology, spiritual care, end of life and nutrition, with well-documented works for each theme to avoid fantasies. “We know today that the patient has a more active role in his episodes of care. So he goes to seek an initial diagnosis with his friend Google and he comes to seek a second medical opinion by going to his professional.”

“People have access to more information, but it is not necessarily the best information. So what we did was groups by theme, with material in the literature of high quality, accessible, general public and easily recommendable.

Patrice Lemay, director of university affairs teaching

at franceinfo

Around fifty books were selected by health professionals, for example Oscar and the Pink Lady by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, who recounts the last days of a little boy suffering from cancer, or manuals on autism or the Mediterranean diet. The doctor can check several titles on his prescription and the patient simply has to borrow them. There is a section “literary remedies” in several libraries in the city.