Using Life Stories to Connect Veterans and Providers

Some participant attrition occurred at this point. Six veterans requested that their stories not go in the CPRS (although 3 of them requested printed copies). One veteran changed his mind after his story was added to the CPRS; the team then immediately removed it. Two veterans died shortly after being released from the hospital and before they could review their stories. The families of both these veterans requested that an audio file of the interview be mailed to them.

Sharing With Family and Providers

Veterans received a printed copy of the approved story and the option to have additional copies for family members. The average number of additional copies requested was 3. Family and friends responded positively to the interview process and stories. Spouses who sat in on the interviews always added something to the interview process, and some were active participants. Eight of the 182 stories were dual narratives that included the words of the veteran and his/her spouse.

Providers were alerted to the personal narratives and PHI via CPRS. The completed story was added to the veteran’s record with the title “My Story.” The story was then electronically cosigned to the veteran’s inpatient and outpatient PACT. Typically, this included 4 people: the inpatient resident and attending physician and the outpatient provider and nurse care manager. If other providers were directly involved in the care of the veteran (mental health, specialists, surgeons), they were also cosigned to the story. If a veteran received primary care outside WSMMVH, their PACT was notified of the presence of the story in CPRS (and given a copy) via encrypted e-mail, in the CPRS “Postings” section.