Patient and Family Storytelling
This is an earlier post that didn’t get published to the site. If you’ve read it already, I hope you enjoy it again.
Just over a couple of months ago, there was significant group think going on with myself and the patient engagement team at the Ministry. I wanted to bring patient stories to the Executive Leadership Table (ELT) and to the meetings of the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) CEOs and ELT.
It was wonderful that a member of the executive team, Melissa Farrell (the Associate Deputy Minister responsible for patient engagement) was thinking the same thing.
I broached it, she proposed it (or something like that), and the Ministry Executives agreed.
Why Patient Storytelling?
Why do we do it — why is it important — what messages do we want to share?
As patients and families we share our stories because we want others who are making policy and program decisions that affect us to understand ‘how’ the policies they plan affect us. We want them to learn from what we have experienced as patients and families in the healthcare system and to use our experience to do better. We want them to be inspired by our stories, and to realize the important and powerful impact the work they are doing has on so many lives.
I am impressed and inspired every time I meet a patient, parent, family member, caregiver who want to share their story. It is not an easy thing to do. I have also done it, shared our story, our journey, our experience. It can be powerful and inspiring to do — it can also take an incredible amount of emotional energy and require significant support.
I am lucky to work with an amazing patient engagement team at the Ministry who go above and beyond to ensure our patient and family storytellers are comfortable in crafting their story, and well prepared and supported before, during and after they have met with our senior leadership team.
Stories Told
The stories shared to date have come from many sectors of our healthcare system, including; injury rehabilitation, long term hospitalization, acute injury, homecare, pressure wounds, patient safety, chronic and complex conditions, continuity of care, and opioids.
I am grateful to the patients and families who have shared their stories with us, and I have no doubt of the impact they have had. I need only look around the room and listen to the respectful and well thought out questions from some of our provincial healthcare leaders to know that these stories are provoking thought, discussion and reflection on their roles and the work they are doing.
The Spread of Storytelling
I have great respect for those helping to facilitate patient storytelling both in Ontario and beyond. Here are a few you might want to check out.
Dr.Brian Goldman, an emergency room physician who hosts a series on CBC Radio called White Coat Black Art.
My friend Sue Robyns from British Columbia who bravely shares her healthcare journey with breast cancer via her insightful blog.
Donna Thompson, an incredible advocate in the caregiving and disability community, who shares her journey and is talking a lot about ‘kindness’ in healthcare these days at The Caregivers’ Living Room.
And you can read about our journey — mine and my daughter Kate’s — at Searching for Solid Footing. (Yes, another blog of mine for you to follow!)
If you’d like to share the story of your healthcare journey, I’d like to help you do that. You can connect with me here, or send me an email: julie.drury@ontario.ca
Take care everyone.
Julie
