THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HEALTH NARRATIVES IN PATIENT-CENTERED CARE

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the impact of patients' health narratives on patient outcomes, provide evidence-based recommendations for their integration into practice, and encourage patients to explore and express their health narrative. A health narrative is defined as an individual's personal story describing their experience with health, illness, and medical treatment. Health narratives are powerful tools that patients may use to communicate their preferences and needs to healthcare professionals. This thesis seeks to assist healthcare providers to understand the significance of patients' health narratives. The best practice recommendations for integrating patients' health narratives into practice include providing supportive and encouraging environments, documenting them into patient records and care plans, and remaining critical awareness of sociocultural contexts in which the narratives are created and shared. Intervention specific recommendations include establishing trusting patient-provider relationships through narrative-based interviews involving open ended questions, informing clinical decision-making through narrative-based patient rounding, and empowering patients to engage in reflective writing exercises or explore multimedia storytelling for those who may struggle with traditional forms of communication. Suggestions for the implementation and evaluation of the best practice recommendations is proposed in the concluding chapter. The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PSDA) cycle will be used to guide the implementation and evaluation of the proposed plan to improve patient outcomes and promote patient-centered care through including patient narratives in health care, monitoring results, and continuously adjusting the approach.