What can be learned from patient stories about living with the chronicity of heart illness? A narrative inquiry

Abstract

Background: Patients’ illness stories are valuable information that supports person-centred care across the illness trajectory. Aims: To learn how older South Asian immigrant women experience living with heart illness long after discharge from hospital. Method: We used narrative inquiry, a personal experience method that explores and interprets lived and told stories through the three dimensions of experience. Design: Four participants, over the age of sixty, living with heart illness for over ten years, were invited to engage in narrative interview and Narrative Reflective Process. Outcomes: Giving patients voice, allows caregivers insight into the human experience of illness beyond hospitalization. Considering the increased migration of people around the globe, this knowledge is significant in provision of person-centred care. Implications: Person-centred care does not end with the hospitalization and outpatient clinics. Inter-disciplinary teams need to reconsider the trajectory of chronic illnesses and the care required throughout, especially for marginalized populations.