Role of Patient Narratives Essay

Researchers have often overlooked the power of patient narratives, and their role in improving the patient’s condition. Patient narratives play a significant role in preventing caregivers from missing out on the explanatory arc, which arises from the stories told by the patient, regarding his/her illness experience. Currently, there is limited research regarding the role of patient narratives and its connection to the concepts related to the illness experience. A narrative refers to a personal construction of experience, which helps a person in processing comprehending their past, present and future experiences. Role of Patient Narratives Essay.Significantly, patient narratives are not provided by patients on a single occasion, but rather through a series of occasions, where patients provide their perception with time. Therefore, patient narratives are not static because they tend to change, as the patient shifts their perspectives and points of view. Narratives mainly utilize the personal reference frame of the patient, to reflect on the illness experience. At that breathe, the paper reviews the role of patient narratives and ways in which these narratives relate to the concepts associated will illness experience.

Role of Patient Narratives

When a majority of patients are hospitalized, they often become confused and frightened regarding the hospitalization experience. Thus through the patient narratives, patients can make sense of their illness experiences, and share them with the caregiver. Patient narratives have a significant role in health care, particularly in illness, where the creation and update of narratives allow patients to make sense of their situation. Besides, the narratives construct accounts for the patient’s personal experiences, and actions, which sustenance the patients’ integrity. Patient narratives are highly applicable when working with elderly patients because of their extensive life experiences they draw from and sort through.Role of Patient Narratives Essay.

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In understanding the role of patient narratives, it is vital to examine the forms of patient narratives, which include contingent, moral and core narratives. These types of narratives were developed by Mile Bury, a renowned sociologist. The three types of narratives exist to some extent, in all patient narratives. The identification and analysis of these forms of narratives offer the essential elements necessary for making sense of the tangled helixes of the inner and outer patient experience.

The contingent narrative plays a significant role in addressing the patient’s perception regarding the origin of the illness and the proximate etiology of a given disease events. Additionally, the contingent narrative also addresses the effects of illness on the day to day life. Importantly, the contingent narrative specifies the interventions taken to curb the disease, as well as the mobilization of social and psychological resources to sustain or enhance the patient’s quality of life. Contingent narratives have a clear role in establishing the causal belief system of the patient, which most caregivers find out as a makeshift of biomedical and non-professional understanding or misinterpretation of the illness. For instance, a patient, in his early 30s wonders on the cause of his depression and remembers being bullied at the hands of students in elementary school. Although the bullying stopped, the patient makes a conclusion that he has no talent, and it is that thought, which once assumed, can never be changed. Thus, in the above case, the contingent, the causal belief system, which the above case reveals, is vital in determining the precise actions, which the patient takes. Besides, the causal belief system also outlines the perceptions, which the patient made after being bullied, that his worsening depression is unavoidable. Thus, with a role in determining the causal belief system, contingent narrative, as a form of patient narratives is precious in the development of healthcare communication and patient education strategies. Role of Patient Narratives Essay.

The moral narrative, on the other hand, has numerous applications in patients. It is helpful in relieving the effects of a disease limiting the patient’s capacity to manage home responsibilities, work activities, self-identity and conventional social roles. Besides, in the cases of stigma related to a health condition, such as HIV/AIDS or the patient’s response to an illness oversteps the societal expectations, the patient can find a sense of self-worth under attack. In the moral narrative, Bury interprets this narrative as the ways in which the patient describes, assesses and assimilates the changed societal relationships and perceptions of self-worth through their illness experience. A case example is a diabetic patient, who perceives his condition as an inevitable consequence of the lack of self-control. The patient narrates about his diagnosis with diabetes, and the factors, which contributed to the condition such as unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, through the narrative in the above case, the patient recognizes his fall from grace and decides to commit himself to a healthy lifestyle and ensure the family is healthy. Another diabetes case sees a woman who gives the motives for her inattentiveness to her illness and poor glycemic control. Role of Patient Narratives Essay. The woman explains to a degree of frustration and refutes the claim that the explanation could sound like an excuse. In her case, the diabetic patient begs a case for compassion, rather than criticism. Hence, the identification and deconstruction these examples of moral narratives demonstrate the significant insights into the patients’ value system. Henceforth, such narratives then provide understandings into the fundamental motivators and hindrances to specific health behaviors.

Finally, core narratives address the mythical genre that underpins the patient’s story. An example case is that of a cancer patient, who casts herself as a heroin in her romance styles, confidence in her abilities and the determination to overcome a ruthless and lethal adversary. Alternatively, the patient might tell her narrative in the genre of tragedy, focusing on the impending loss, unrealizable dreams and the tragedy of those she will leave behind. The difference between the above tragic and romantic styles is evident. The only similarity is that all patient core narratives, draw, either deliberately or involuntarily from a limited, culturally grounded selection or distinctive characters, clitches, and codes related to each genre. Therefore, in the romance style, the patient, as the heroin, may perceive the doctor in the stock role of the wise mentor. The doctor then identifies the roles assigned to him in the patient’s core narrative. The doctor can then understand the patient’s expectation of their doctor, care providers, family, and friend at a more profound emotional level. The patient, on the other hand, can explore the shortcomings of the physicians and other parties with regards to the identified iconic roles, which guides enhancing the patient-physician communication. In turn, this is crucial in assisting families in providing quality care to the patient. Moreover, it also makes the patient directed outreach highly efficient. Role of Patient Narratives Essay.

Among the nursing interventions, the patient narratives have the following roles. Foremost, the careful listening to the narratives enhances the nurses’ better understanding of their patients. Thus, nurses can then sustenance and communicate effectively with the patients, contributing to better and improved quality of care. Secondly, the narratives offer nurses with comprehensions of coping progress of nurses, and the strategies implemented by the patients to improve their condition. Finally, the insights from the patient experience are vital in the identification of crucial junctures, known as the pain points. These are the points at which the patient’s experience and behavior can be altered to enhance better outcomes. Besides, the identification of these points is vital in understanding the hindrances and drivers of change at each point, which informs the structuring of effective behavioral intervention by the nurses.

Relationship to Concepts Associated with Illness Experience

The patient experience is one of the concepts related to the illness experience. For nurses to have effective relationships with their patients, they need to have an understanding of the patient experience, as well as its sensitivity. The hospitalization of patients deprives them of their individual privacy and individuality.Role of Patient Narratives Essay.  For instance, their personal belongings are retained, they provide their personal information and history of the disease, and expose their bodies to strangers. Thus, a majority of these patients have the strong urge to feel secure, cared for and that the healthcare professionals are skilled and knowledgeable. Hence, an admitted patient usually feel disadvantaged because of their little knowledge in medicine, thereby feeling inferior to the hospital staff. The disadvantaged feeling contributes to frustration among the patients due to the long waiting time. Studies show that many patients are refrained from seeking assistance when they see healthcare personnel busy. Furthermore, many patients also lack empowerment, feel vulnerable and have a fear of being themselves. Ion such cases, communication is vital in enhancing the comfort of the patients.

One of the reasons why these patients experience the lack of empowerment is due to poor communication between the physicians and the patients. Thus, nurses have a role in explaining to the patients the reasons for waiting, delays and regularly check on the patients to ensure that they are comfortable. Besides, nurses can involve the patients in developing the daily plan, which incorporates goal and objective setting for each patient. Additionally, nurses should help patients in understanding the proper flow of the day by informing their patients on the daily scheduled tests and procedures. Communication is a simple narrative which not only makes the patients comfortable but also improves their rate of recovery. Psychological well-being of the patients makes the environment conducive for a quick recovery.

Bearing witness is another crucial concept related the illness experience. Bearing witness is a common concept among the nurses, and it incorporates the cognizant shift from a strictly clinical focus to that which involves psychological, emotional and spiritual support of the sufferer. Thus, bearing witness requires the patient to be wholly present in the moment, intuitive, exhibit self-awareness and be able to connect with the patients.

By bearing witness, the nurses create a conducive setting for the patients to heal, makes the patients feel safe thereby allowing the patients to express their emotions and vulnerabilities.Role of Patient Narratives Essay.  In the illness experience, bearing witness causes the patients to feel valuable and respectable through the power of human connection. Bearing witness is based on the nurses’ notion that the patient’s mind and the body are intimately linked and inseparable. Hence, through bearing witness, the nurse understands a situation from the perspective of the patient.

By bearing witness, the patient becomes open to the needs of the patients without the avoidance of any subjects which might seem awkward. The most uncomfortable subjects are those which many patients are usually interested in and can only discuss them when they feel safe. Furthermore, on the nursing interventions, bearing witness is significant in assessing the type of actions which would be more applicable to the patient based on their emotional, physical and spiritual levels.

Bearing witness fosters the nurse-patient relationship, which is vital in diagnosing, implementing effective interventions and tracking the patient’s progress through their narratives. Besides, bearing witness allows the caregiver to safeguard the patients’ dignity, and prevent the feeling of neglect, separation, and loneliness.

There are about three lenses, through which narratives can be viewed in the health care setting. Organizational narratives are one of the lenses, which involves narratives that have the primary purpose of creating and strengthening social capital. Through the strengthening of the social capital, organizational narratives offer a substantial contribution to the success of the knowledge management initiative in the healthcare organization. Secondly, the illness narratives involve the narrations that patients provide based on their subjective experiences of disease. Illness narratives are core narratives, as discussed above. Thus, they are rich in knowledge about the disruptive nature of the disease and its therapeutic possibility. The third lens involves the narratives told by the caregivers who practice medicine with narrative competence. Role of Patient Narratives Essay.

There are four major narratives situations that the physicians play a vital part, which includes the physician-patient, physician-self, physician-colleague and physician-society narratives. Foremost, the physicians-patient narrative acts as a bridge between the caregiver and the patient and incorporates the physician into the patient’s illness experience. Despite these narratives being solely therapeutic in nature, the physician can bear witness, by getting more involved with the patient. This relationship is vital in melding minds to build the clinical compass. Henceforth, the caregiver probes not only the patient’s but also the spirit, thereby healing the patient physically, emotionally and psychologically. Thus, an open dialogue has proved useful in fostering this relationship.

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Secondly, the physician self-narrative refers to the reflection and self-review of thoughtful physicians when trying to make sense of their personal emotional response to their patients. Through reflection, the physician has a significant opportunity for understanding their patient’s narrative. Thus, this enables the physician to circumnavigate the insecurity and damage caused by a disease. Thirdly, the physician-society narrative enables the caregivers to attain an open and honest conversation with the society regarding the imperfections of the medical system, the limitations of medical knowledge and the fragility of life. The world of medicine is sometimes rough because even the best physicians can offer bad advice and make devastating medical errors. Thus, through this narratives.Role of Patient Narratives Essay.  The society can understand the medical profession better and help in advancing care. Finally, the physician-college narrative is entirely based on knowledge sharing. This type of narrative is crucial in spreading the best practices, offering learning opportunities for the peers and contributing new ideas that can enhance the healthcare sector.

Conclusion

In summary, patient narratives are vital in healing the patient physically, psychologically and emotionally. Through the patient narratives, caregivers have the opportunity of not missing out on vital information, regarding the patient’s illness experience. The roles of patient narratives include the making sense out of the patient’s situation and understanding the patient’s perception of the causes of their condition. Besides, the narratives also allow caregivers to develop the best interventions for their patients and offer a safe environment for information sharing. Some of the important concepts, concerning the illness experience include the patient’s experience in health care, bearing witness and similar concepts as discussed above. In any healthcare setting, caregivers can only understand the nursing experience through narratives. Thus, the creation of a conducive environment to enhance patient narratives in the healthcare is significant in promoting health. role of Patient Narratives Essay.