Abstract: Objective To compare and analyze the awareness and acceptance of narrative medicine (including parallel charts) among undergraduate medical interns and residents undergoing standardized residency training. Methods A successive sampling method was adopted to recruit eligible participants in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, from January 2024 to July 2025. A total of 62 undergraduate interns and 118 residents undergoing standardized training were surveyed regarding their awareness of narrative medicine. Following a theoretical lecture on narrative medicine (including parallel charts), a subsequent survey was administered to assess their acceptance of narrative medicine. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test and the independent samples ttest. Results Sixty-two valid questionnaires from the intern group and 118 from the resident group were collected. Among all respondents, the proportion who reported having ″never known about″ narrative medicine was significantly higher in the resident group [50.8% (60/118) vs. 24.2% (15/62), P<0.001]. After the theoretical lecture, 45 valid questionnaires from the undergraduate intern group and 98 from the resident group were collected. The resident group demonstrated significantly higher acceptance scores regarding the positive role of narrative medicine in stimulating work enthusiasm and improving professional competence [(2.47±0.71) vs. (2.20±0.73), P=0.038; (2.48±0.69) vs. (2.22±0.67), P=0.039]. A significantly larger proportion of the resident group expressed willingness to recommend narrative medicine to others [89.8% (88/98) vs. 73.3% (33/45), P=0.011]. Conclusions The interns demonstrated a better awareness of the concepts of narrative medicine (including parallel charts) than residents, whereas residents showed higher acceptance of narrative medicine (including parallel charts).

Key words: Questionnaires, Narrative medicine, Parallel chart, Medical humanities