Piecing the Patient Story Back Together: Why the Patient and Caregiver Contribution Matters

• Main Author: Elizabeth Lerner Papautsky PhD
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2020-04-01
• Series: Journal of Patient Experience
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/2374373519831075

Clinicians make decisions based on a large and complex patient information space in time pressured situations. Through continuity, experience, and privileged knowledge, the patient and caregiver(s) are in a position to support clinician decisionmaking through information delivery. For example, they may make salient relevant information or provide an integrated patient story to help clinicians overcome challenges of making decisions based on incomplete information. Recommendations of engaging patient/caregiver(s) include fostering a culture of listening by clinicians, speaking up by patient/caregiver(s), effective patient education and health information technology, and family-centered rounding and hand-offs. Using a lived experience, I illustrate the value of the potential impact of caregiver’s informational contribution to patient safety.