Story telling as a tool for providing holistic care to women.

This article discusses storytelling as a tool for assisting nurses in providing holistic care to women. General information about the function of stories and storytelling is followed by an overview of cultural influences on story development and sharing. Specific examples of how storytelling has been used in clinical practice or by researchers are provided. The article concludes with a discussion of how storytelling can be used to (1) gather pertinent client information, (2) strengthen client-nurse communication, (3) provide client education, and (4) enhance staff and clinician development.