Heather Coats

Discipline: Nurse

Funding awarded to: University of Colorado, College of Nursing

Integration of Person-Centered Narratives in an Outpatient Cancer Center

To conduct a feasibility study of a virtually delivered Person-Centered Narrative Intervention (PCNI) in an outpatient PC clinic in an effort to evaluate the PCNI from two different groups: persons receiving outpatient PC and their outpatient PC interprofessional team. Aim 1: Identify barriers to and facilitators of intervention from the perspectives of the person living with serious illness and the PC team. Aim 2: Conduct acceptability, usability, and intervention fidelity testing to determine essential requirements for integration into the EHR from the perspective of the person living with serious illness and the outpatient PC team. Aim 3: Determine feasibility of virtually delivered person-reported outcome measurement data collection procedures, and evaluate the preliminary effect sizes in outcomes of self-reported biopsychosocial and spiritual well-being and psychosocial illness impact from T1 (baseline) to T2 (after narrative upload) and T3 (one month after narrative upload) The knowledge gained will provide necessary information to evaluate future ways to scale the PCNI with the goal of implementation across health systems.

“As I witnessed social isolation brought about by the pandemic, the impetus to provide a person-centered narrative within the EHR became even more important than it was prior to the pandemic. I want to be a change agent in our system of de-humanizing health care. During my 20 years of experience in palliative care, oncology, and hospice as an administrator, clinician, and educator, I have witnessed the disregard of people’s beliefs, preferences, and values in our fragmented healthcare system. This problem has become even more challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sojourns Scholar Leadership program will offer me the opportunity to learn from other changemakers, which will help me become a stronger advocate for person-centered palliative care.”