Abstract

Graphic medicine is defined as the intersection between comics, Ilustration and the field of medicine. The concept was introduced by British physician Ian Williams in 2007 and has since evolved, offering a wide range of applications that have influenced both healthcare delivery and the education of health professionals. Today, this form of visual literature is experiencing a global rise, closely tied to the development of the medical humanities since the late 1990s. In particular, narrative medicine-the most recent branch of the medical humanities-has embraced graphic medicine as a powerful tool to better understand the human condition and patient subjectivity. Aim: To describe the current educational applications of graphic medicine in health professions training, and to highlight selected examples from Chile. Methods: A narrative review was conducted, focusing on literature and documented experiences regarding the use of graphic medicine in health education, with special attention to its implementation in Chile. Results: The review revealed a growing interest in the use of graphic medicine as an educational resource, emphasizing its potential to represent non-biomedical aspects of illness, such as emotional experiences, subjectivity, and social determinants of health. In Chile, several initiatives have employed graphic novels, comic strips, and visual narratives as pedagogical tools in the training of healthcare professionals, showing promising outcomes in fostering empathy, critical reflection, and a holistic understanding of patient care. Conclusions: The intentional use of graphic medicine in health education offers an effective approach to developing more well-rounded professionals-those who are not only scientifically competent but also skilled in humanistic dimensions of care. These visual tools serve as meaningful educational resources that support a more humanized, socially engaged, and ethically grounded approach to healthcare.