Best Practices
Using Life Stories to Connect Veterans and Providers
The My Life, My Story patient-centered program uses veterans’ personal narratives by veterans to create a strong connection between patients and...
If you want to know how the VA facilities are working for patients, have the patients take you on a guided tour. VA researchers did just that and got plenty of suggestions on how to improve care—from using more soothing colors and better signage to making care more holistic.
Related: Using Life Stories to Connect Veterans and Providers
The researchers followed along as 30 veterans guided them on a series of tours through 2 VA facilities. They also guided them through the patient experience: The process of walking and talking cued memories of thoughts and feelings they have had during regular health care visits. Those spontaneous observations made the tours more valuable than a survey, which relies on preformed questions, the researchers said.
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One of the major themes that emerged from the tours was the importance of identity as a veteran. VA patients view VA care as a reflection of that identity, the study found. In fact, some said the reason for their frequent visits was not only medical needs but to socialize with other veterans. “It seems to me,” said one tour guide, “that this campus should be run like a veteran’s community and that everything should be available for the veterans to use…” Why not offer cultural events, amateur productions, and concerts, he suggested.
The tours also revealed areas where VA facilities could reduce confusion and improve efficiency. In an article for VA’s Research Currents, Sara Locatelli, PhD, the lead investigator, described, for example, how the process of picking up a prescription became convoluted for both patients and providers.
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Dr. Locatelli said the guided-tour approach used in community-based research was new to health care settings. She came on the method when her group was developing a proposal for the VA’s Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation. The researchers say their study “highlights many experiences to inform patient-centered care innovations going forward.”