Working with patients: HCP Stories

Health professionals are on the front lines of any medical assistance for patients living with different conditions. Through interviews with real patients and healthcare professionals, A Life in A Day creates immersive experiences. We are extremely grateful for the support, advice and time HCP’s have given us to help us better understand the true burden of a disease or condition on the patient’s lives.

A Life in a Day is committed to amplifying the real-life stories of patients and making sure their voices are heard. 

By weaving accurate information from healthcare professionals throughout our journeys, we create unique ‘lived’ experiences of the patients for up to 24 hours. It allows us to understand how their everyday lives are impacted and develop more empathy for their challenges.

We would like to share some testimonials from the fantastic HCP’s who have taken time out of their lives to help us create our journeys. Our experience provides real world insights for life science professionals to better understand the challenges and needs of the people they serve, and to ultimately improve patients’ lives.

Communication challenges faced by healthcare professionals

Eleni, a healthcare specialist, shared that people would be surprised by how quickly symptoms can arise. She reinforced that it is hugely important to pay attention to changes in physical and mental health and seek medical help as soon as possible.

“I know patients are bored with waiting and tests, but it is better to be safe than sorry”, Eleni explained.

Eleni recalls she had patients in terrible situations and how they dealt with them.

“One patient became completely incoherent. They were speaking in tongues and none of the staff could figure out what they were trying to communicate to us. I’ve had others who hallucinate terrible situations like bugs everywhere or rats. It can be pretty nasty,” she added.

According to Katie, a clinical nurse practitioner, it is sometimes good for there to be no news. 

“We only get updated when things go wrong. Of course, they want to know how things are going, they are scared and anxious, but we often do not have the answers they want. They are terrified that by the time their cells are ready it will be too late. We can’t give them the treatment. We must reassure them as best we can and tell them to stay positive”.

She added that healthcare workers also check who is a caregiver for the patient as they want to make sure that person is in safe hands. Healthcare workers are also providing emotional support to caregivers to help them cope with the situation.

“I remember going through training with a patient’s wife and she was overwhelmed. There are a lot of scary side effects to this treatment. I was so concerned that if she could not even make it through the training, she would really struggle if something happened in real life. In the end, I had to convince the patient to choose someone else as their caregiver instead. It was a difficult conversation, but we need to be sure that the patients are in safe hands,” said nurse Katie. 

In her practice, Katie always discusses setting small goals with her patients. She also emphasizes the importance of communication and collaboration with patients in her practice.

“These could be everyday things like going to the bathroom, eating breakfast at a table instead of in bed or getting up and showering. One patient brought their guitar into the hospital and tried to play at least once a day. It’s important for patients to feel like they’re getting better and getting back to normal.”

In her remarks, nurse Gen said, “The tests may seem pretty easy when you are doing them but imagine what the patient goes through when they cannot answer the questions correctly. That’s what we’re looking for.” 

 Healthcare professional Amanda adds that you cannot predict how this disease will behave in any one patient. 

“You can call that uncertainty, but on the positive side, you could call it hope,” said Amanda.

The team at A Life in a Day would like to thank all healthcare workers who contributed their experience and helped create a unique program that considered all the details real patients are facing.

Learn more about the benefits gained from A Life in a Day through our latest case studies.