Abstract
Background: To move beyond more traditional approaches to patient education, a hospital and healthcare group in Singapore adopted person-centred and participatory principles in health education, leveraging digital storytelling (DST) to share information and provide health advice on ten common and high-burden health conditions.
Approach: DST is a participatory approach to health education that is person-centric, honours lived experiences and is effective at evoking change. We produced Healing Journeys, featuring ten patient stories in a short-video format, requiring close collaboration with (and featuring) actual patients from our hospitals, our healthcare professionals, and creative content experts in the storyboarding and production process. The selected health topics included diseases and conditions responsible for significant morbidity and mortality in Singapore, including lung infection (pneumonia), breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and heart disease. Patients were recruited through the recommendations of their attending clinicians and were engaged by the storyboarding team to share their authentic health story through a series of film interviews, reenactments, and interactions with their healthcare professionals. They were encouraged to share in their own language and style, to showcase a slice of their life in their community setting, and to bring family and caregivers to share their perspectives as well. Consent was taken from all subjects involved in the film.
Results: Ten videos featuring ten patients with ten different health conditions, supported by their healthcare teams, have been produced and released on YouTube, with combined thousands of views. With the Healing Journeys series of videos, the viewer is invited to journey along with each patient as they share their health experiences, highlighting the patient’s authentic voice and providing an avenue for the patients and healthcare professional to share important health messages. The videos have been featured in health education campaigns such as Singapore’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Lung Cancer Awareness Month, World Diabetes Day and other patient education events. Qualitative feedback from a range of viewers (healthcare practitioners, clinical educators, and members of the public) highlighted that the stories were engaging and captivating, places the patient at the centre, and the health messages carried by the stories were more memorable and impactful. Featured patients saw their participation in Healing Journeys as a way of giving back to the community and processing their experiences.
Implications: A person-centred and participatory approach in DST can be more impactful and engaging than traditional formats of health education and promotion. The DST process can also itself be a therapeutic intervention, both for the patient in recounting their experiences, crafting their own illness narrative, and giving them a sense of contribution for others going through a similar journey through sharing their experiences. Using the patient’s natural and authentic voice ensures a relatable story that builds a strong connection with audiences. Policymakers and healthcare organisations can consider incorporating principles of person-centred and participatory storytelling in advocacy, patient education, programme evaluation, research, and policymaking.