The Veterans Affairs (VA) Storybook Program was developed to enhance nurse-patient relationships and satisfaction with care. Personal stories about nurses were distributed to patients on a medical/surgical unit. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation data were collected from patients and nurses to capture patients’ descriptions of nurses and perceptions of program value. Results show patients describe nurses differently after reading the storybook. Patients were highly satisfied with the program, and interviews suggest the stories fostered connection and developed an atmosphere of trust. Story programs may be an effective, structured approach to enhancing nurse-patient relationships.
CrockettW. H. (1965). Cognitive complexity and impression formation. In MaherB. A. (Ed.), Progress in experimental personality research (Vol. 2, pp. 47-90). Academic Press.
GriffithR.TengnahC. (2013). Maintaining professional boundaries: Keep your distance. British Journal of Community Nursing, 18(1), 43-46. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2013.18.1.43
4.
HalldorsdottirS. (2008). The dynamics of the nurse-patient relationship: Introduction of a synthesized theory from the patient’s perspective. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 22(4), 643-652. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6712.2007.00568.x
5.
HorstmanH. K. (2018). Young adult women’s narrative resilience in relation to mother daughter communicated narrative sense-making and well-being. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 36(4), 1146-1167. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0265407518756543
6.
KellasJ. K. (2017). Communicated narrative sense-making theory: Linking storytelling and well-being. In BraithwaiteD. O.SuterE.FloydK. (Eds.), Engaging theories in family communication: Multiple perspectives (pp. 62-74). Routledge.
7.
MedveneL.GroschK.SwinkN. (2006). Interpersonal complexity: A cognitive component of person-centered care. The Gerontologist, 46(2), 220-226. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/46.2.220
RinglerT.AhearnE. P.WiseM.LeeE. R.KrahnD. (2015). Using life stories to connect veterans and providers. Federal Practitioner, 32(6), 8-14.
10.
RobertsT. J.RinglerT.KrahnD.AhearnE. (2021). The My Life, My Story program: Sustained impact of veterans’ personal narratives on healthcare providers 5 years after implementation. Health Communication, 36(7), 829-836. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1719316
11.
ShantaL. L.ConnollyM. (2013). Using King’s interacting systems theory to link emotional intelligence and nursing practice. Journal of Professional Nursing, 29(3), 174-180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2012.04.023
12.
TravelbeeJ. (1971). Interpersonal aspects of nursing. F.A. Davis.
13.
UhrenfeldtL.SørensenE. E.BahnsenI. B.Ulrich PedersenP. (2018). The centrality of the nurse-patient relationship: A Scandinavian perspective. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 27(15-16), 3197-3204. https://doi.org/10.111/jocn.14381
