Storytelling and How it Aids Empathy for Providers of the Trauma Patient Population

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this project is to explore the influence of storytelling on provider empathy when applied to the patients of the trauma intensive care unit at University of Colorado Hospital. Background: Storytelling has long been used for patients to have self-expression in their care. The process of storytelling provides maps for the ill to understand where they are in life and where they are going. In this way, the use of a patient story provides for opportunity for more patient-centered shared decision making between patient and provider, but the effects of storytelling on providers has not yet been investigated. Even more specifically storytelling is a practice that is relatively unknown to the trauma patient population and their providers. Providers of this patient population are often fatigued when providing care in this area of the hospital that results in decreased empathy. By improving communication with trauma patients, providers can improve empathy. Applying this technique will help provide a connection between provider and patient that will alleviate the stress of burnout and compassion fatigue associated with this population. Methods: Providers at the University of Colorado Hospital that admitted patients affected by trauma to the Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit prompted the patient to share a story by asking the question, “Tell me a short story that is important for me to know about your life?” Patients then reflected on their experience with the provider and the story was recorded in the electronic health record. The summation of the story was then shared during weekly trauma rounds. Providers that utilized the storytelling tool provided feedback on their experiences by means of answering an adapted version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) collecting data on storytelling’s impact on provider empathy. This project shed light on the benefits of applying 9 storytelling from the providers’ perspective and understood the impact on their ability to provide empathic care. Results: The utilization of storytelling in this unexpected application allowed providers to engage with patients, providing comforting, person-centered care in an empathetic manner. It was shown that storytelling assisted providers in the University of Colorado’s Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit by offering a tool that helped to optimize empathy between provider and patients. Conclusion: Helping trauma patients to have a narrative to better meet their healthcare needs is an innovative way to humanize patients for providers. Storytelling offers a subjective way to ensure person-centered care. A person’s life can be measured in years or moments, and this method helps providers optimize the time left in their patients’ years.