This is my story: John Hopkins Medicine (6 July 2022)

Summary

This article tells the story of how the This Is My Story (TIMS) initiative developed at John Hopkins Medicine, and how it is giving care teams a humanising window into the lives of patients who can’t speak for themselves. Initiated by Chaplain Elizabeth Tracey, who saw the toll not being able to communicate with intubated patients was having on healthcare workers during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, TIMS provides healthcare teams with a short audio recording about each patient. The patient's family shares details about their loved one, such as information on hobbies, personal interests and the patient's career. Staff have reported the TIMS recordings having a big impact on how they view their patients, and the scheme has been rolled out across John Hopkins services.