Telling the Story of the Human Experience in Healthcare

Purpose:
Is information fatigue syndrome affecting our QI efforts? Is the quantity of quality data so overwhelming it is leading to paralysis by analysis? Could the narrative patient experience become an influential partner in the development of creative strategies and motivation for success?

Significance:
In our data saturated world an individual patient experience may be more compelling than the numbers. History informs us that there is no better means of inspiring culture change than through storytelling. Quality improvement often requires culture change. Learn to leverage the power of story.

Strategy and Implementation:
One Magnet hospital shares how the power of story was used to advance bedside quality improvement, champion a professional culture and inspire excellence in clinical care. During patient led nursing grand rounds patients share stories both positive and negative. Each story empowers our staff and has inspired a world class customer service culture change. An educational approaches to failure modes and effects analysis has helped our organization locate potential process failures. Our mock medical negligence trials in which hospital attorneys and nurses from our facility acted out actual cases has positively impacted documentation compliance. Key elements in developing an effective and purposeful story were shared through a nurse leader educational program. Education on effective development and use stories has aided in ensuring our use of narratives are not just intellectual exercises but much deeper experiences for our staff and yield results for our organization.

Evaluation:
Four levels of evaluation data will be shared; reaction to the storytelling educational approach, learning achieved, behavior change achieved and organizational results including improvements in patient satisfaction data, and improvement in documentation compliance.

Implications for Practice:
Leading companies have recognized the use of narrative in guiding effective strategy. Improvement in key nurse sensitive quality indicators, inspiring nursing excellence and creativity in problem solving, and ensuring quality initiatives are embraced and sustained at the bedside should be our goals.