Body Narrative: A Participatory Learning Tool for Enhancing Primary Care Management Competency: A Case Study of Chun Sub-district, Chun District, Phayao Province

Abstract

This article presents the lessons learned from utilizing Body Narrative as a participatory learning tool to enhance the primary health care management competencies of health network partners in Chun Sub-district, Chun District, Phayao Province, where health network partners used community waste management as a foundational issue for learning. The study utilized Body Paint as a tool within Body Narrative, guided by the 4P’s conceptual framework: Principle, Purpose, Participation, and Process. The implementation was grounded in the concepts of Narrative Medicine and Experiential Learning.

The findings indicated that the tool effectively promoted systems-based learning and was readily understood by users. It addressed a gap in community nursing practice by providing a procedural framework that systematically linked nursing knowledge with the practical experiences of local partners, enabling the translation of academic concepts into concrete community-based actions. Furthermore, the participatory learning process strengthened collaboration among network partners by fostering teamwork, collective reflection, effective communication, and leadership development. This led to tangible outcomes in environmental management and community participation, resulting in the co-design of a waste management system that seamlessly integrated health, environmental, and social dimensions. Furthermore, it established continuous monitoring and increased household waste segregation behaviors to over 90 percent.

Additionally, the process empowered the community, strengthened collaborative relationships, and improved communication among network partners. This led to the development of the “Community-based Participatory Waste Management Model”, which serves as a district-level prototype for primary health care operations. The lessons learned reflect that Body Narrative is a high-potential tool for supporting the roles of community nurses and primary health care teams in driving sustainable community health development.