Participants were positive about the use of the poem ‘Man- unless otherwise indicated’. They said that the poem had helped them to see their daily work in a new light. As one participant put it: “It’s really interesting how a poem can shed light on our daily activities in healthcare.” “This poem makes you think about how you say certain things or how certain things come across to a patient.”

During the workshops, several participants stated that they found the poem very useful to start conversations about taboo topics more easily. They said afterwards that they had discovered that poetry helps them because the texts can be interpreted in different ways and are connected to their own professional experiences and experiences.

One participant spoke of a phrase repeated several times in the poem: “Research shows” – in relation to her own conversations with patients: “I think it’s used as a cover for ourselves, as if I feel like I’m reassuring the patient. Now that I think about it in this way because of the poem, you can also tell people about the situation in a different way instead of repeating the phrase ‘research shows’ over and over again.”