MyCare Journal

Abstract

Apple ward in Hinchingbrooke Hospital consists of both medical and
stroke patients. Many patients on the unit have had ailments which affect
their communication, which ranges from dementia to dysarthria following
strokes. The aim of this project was to provide a tool that would help
staff be more familiar with patients who may struggle to communicate
and provide more comfort in their care, for example by playing TV shows
they enjoy, or providing food and beverages they enjoy, which would
make their stay in hospital more pleasant. To develop a communication
tool which would enable the staff on stroke/geriatrics ward at
Hinchingbrooke hospital to provide personalised care for patients who
may struggle to communicate. The leaflet was based off ‘Patient Passports’
which were used in the critical care unit in Salford Royal hospital. The
MyCare journals are to be filled by family/friends and left at the bedside
for staff to access when needed.
I developed the MyCare journal on Canva and I used bright colours to
draw attention from the audience. I took inspiration from the questions

on the original Patient Passport but tailored them to make them more
suitable for the geriatrics/stroke ward. I used semi-structured interviews
to assess feedback from relatives and staff and provided them with copies
to keep and use. The questions included their view on the design,
prompts, and whether they would change anything with the MyCare
journal. Overall, I interviewed three patient families, two doctors on the
medical team, and one stroke occupational therapist.
This is an ongoing pilot project, so I am continuing to gain feedback.
So far, there has been overwhelming positive feedback from families,
they have liked the purpose of the leaflet and the design. They also
found the section on mobility aids and glasses extremely useful. The
feedback from the medical and therapy team has also been very positive,
they felt that it would help to personalise patient care and make
the patients more comfortable during their stay. Overall, families have
given positive feedback on the MyCare journal. One challenge I have
faced is how to encourage use of the passport on the ward as this would
require ongoing prompts to ensure it is given to patients with communication
difficulties. There was quite a limited sample size, partially due
to time constraints and partially due to the fact that not all families
were available. There is also difficulty in implementing and keeping the
project going. I discussed this with the occupational therapy team; they
previously had a similar project ongoing, and they were keen to use this
one with patients.