Tell Me More: Promoting compassionate patient care through conversations with medical students

Abstract

Tell Me More ® (TMM) is a medical student driven project that represents a movement amongst the rising generation of physicians to practice humanistic, patient-centered medicine through a collaborative approach. Students interviewed patients to create individualized posters designed to build rapport and trust between patients and clinicians, remind patients of their special strengths by highlighting their unique interests and qualities, and encourage more personal and compassionate patient-clinician interactions in order to enhance the patient experience. Students asked each patient three questions: 1. "How would your friends describe you?" 2. "What are your strengths?" 3. "What has been most meaningful to you?" and answers were recorded on a large poster, which was displayed prominently in the patient's room for clinicians and staff to acknowledge. TMM engaged 5 students and 302 patients over 4 hospital settings throughout Northwell Health. Data collection included daily written reflections by students on their experiences, exit interviews with patients to assess the impact of the project on their stay, and staff surveys that addressed provider perception of the program. Descriptive outcomes supported a positive impact on students, patients, staff and clinicians. TMM succeeded in providing a bridge between patients and clinicians and is a cost-effective practice that lends to more personal patient-provider interactions. Bedside posters positively influenced the culture of a hospital organization and reminded providers of the meaning in their work, which literature shows can reduce provider burnout and improve quality of care.

The Art of Compassion in Mental Healthcare for All: Back to the Basics

“…Students reflected on clients as “humanistic teachers” and felt “inspired.” Clients mentioned that they felt a touch of personalized care, which helped break the ice with health professionals. 39 The concept of narrative medicine, which encourages doctors, social workers, nurses, psychologists, and other allied professionals to hold a space to embrace stories of illness, re- quires a special mention. 40 At Columbia University, New York, narrative training, encompassing skills of attention, affiliation, and representation, is provided to help professionals form a therapeutic alliance and become tolerant of clients’ perspectives.…”

“…Students reflected on clients as “humanistic teachers” and felt “inspired.” Clients mentioned that they felt a touch of personalized care, which helped break the ice with health professionals. 39…”

Elevating the discourse on experience in healthcare’s uncertain times

“…model employed at Northwell Health 12 (and a recipient of a 2016 Patient Experience Grant from The Beryl Institute) provides practical insights into the very top priority issues revealed in the study on influence factors, that of engaging healthcare teams. The issue closes with a topic that continues to grow in conversations on experience, that of changing the nature of education for those entering healthcare, 13 in this case medical students, to provide the skills and perspectives necessary to thrive in the new healthcare world.…”