How-To: Ethical Brand Storytelling for Healthcare Providers

You know it, and I know it: storytelling is 100% more captivating than fact-telling. Wouldn't you rather hear someone weave a dramatic tale than hear them list off a bunch of facts?

Stories are what move us to action, they connect with us on a much deeper level than our logical brains and incite us to do something differently. The best ones reflect our own experiences through a new lens and broaden our worldview.

When your job is helping people care for their health, storytelling can get complicated. Regulations, privacy, and ethics aren’t red tape; they’re the guardrails that protect the people behind the stories. But that doesn’t mean you have to avoid storytelling—it means you have to approach it with consent, respect, and care.

Stories are a powerful tool for HCPs.

Begin with consent, not assumption. If you’re sharing any story that touches on a person’s health, identity, or lived experience, permission isn’t a box to check—it’s a relationship to honor. Explain the purpose of the story, where it will appear, and who will see it. Make sure the person can change their mind later. Consent is ongoing, not one-and-done.

Let people define themselves. Avoid language that frames someone as “a victim,” “suffering from,” or “confined to.” Instead, use terms that reflect how they self-identify. Ask directly what language feels right. Person-first or identity-first language is personal, not prescriptive—and you honor autonomy by asking rather than assuming.

Keep the focus human, not heroic. Healthcare stories often drift into savior narratives—clinicians as rescuers, patients as passive. Resist that. Real stories honor partnership. Ask what agency, choices, and insights the person brought to their own care. A story that respects equality of voice is one that builds trust.

Use plain language without diminishing complexity. Skip jargon, but don’t simplify people’s experiences. Avoid “inspirational” tropes that turn someone’s life into a lesson. Tell the story as they live it: nuanced, ordinary, brave in its own way.

Protect privacy beyond HIPAA. Anonymizing details isn’t always enough. Consider whether context could reveal someone’s identity or circumstances. If in doubt, change identifying details—and make sure the storyteller agrees. Ethical storytelling means protecting the storyteller from unintended exposure.

Share with responsibility, not ownership. Once a story leaves your hands, it carries consequences. Before sharing, pause and ask: does this serve the person who trusted me? Could it harm them or others with similar experiences? Ethical storytelling isn’t about control—it’s about stewardship.

Why it matters. When we tell stories with consent and respect, we rebuild trust in healthcare. We remind audiences that systems are made of people—each deserving of dignity, accuracy, and agency in how their stories are told. Done well, ethical storytelling doesn’t just inform. It heals.