A growing popularity of book clubs is hitting the medical field. This ABC News report explores why literature is beneficial for physicians, nurses, and any other caretaker.

Reading literature written from a patient’s point of view, such as The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, the memoir of the late French Elle Editor-in-Chief Jean-Dominique Bauby (who essentially wrote the book through blinking after a stroke left him almost completely paralyzed), helps caretakers empathize with patients. According to Elizabeth Sinclair, coordinator of the Maine Humanities Council’s literature and medicine program, it also helps caretakers deal with complex issues that aren’t always so black and white in a medical world that often demands black-and-white answers.

The report says similar book clubs at medical school and hospitals are sweeping the nation. Those who support such clubs say they can have the added benefit of socializing physicians and nurses, breaking down barriers.

What do you think of this idea? Do you have something like this at your school or hospital? Would you like to? Share your thoughts below.