STORYTELLING TOOL

CHALLANGE’S DESCRIPTION

Working as a volunteer in Clinic of Marrow Transplantation, Oncology and Haematology in  Childhood, I constantly experience child’s fear of injections. This problem has an adverse influence on  a patient’s immunology system because high stimulation activates the emergency resources within  the organism and can lead even to exhaustion. It causes patient  stressed, nervous and distrustful. As  a result,  also parents usually feel helpless, react with frustration or anger – because they do not  know how to effectively urge their child to break down the resistance or stop hysteria.  The medical  staff has also difficulties to proceed the proper treatment while attempting to reassure a “fighting”  child.

Having faced such a problematic situation, I challenged myself to find a way of exploring factors that  could decrease the stress and to accustom the patients with such a situation.

TOOL SELECTION

I chose a tool that is close to their childhood, usually close to their safe zone in everyday reality  outside the clinic. That’s why I decided to apply storytelling. Through imaginary, I wanted to help  understand children what the current state was and to show the redesign story of the future.  This  action might enable patients to experience the change in our multi-possibilities world. With this tool,  I wanted to connect with the children’s emotions, showing that fear is a natural reaction of our  organism. We don’t need to negate it but to accept it and help ourselves to overcome the  stressogenic factors.

I applied the storytelling tool, from the co-creation perspective, to gain better understanding of  patients’ sense of meaning, focusing on the whole ecosystem of the stressogenic situation – what  can help build a feeling of safety and trust.

I started to apply the storytelling tool with an 8-year-old girl.

TOOL APPLICATION

Having listened the patient, her parents and nurses, I decided to use within the storytelling process  the real medical object (e.g. a syringe, disinfectants) and the patient’s baby-doll. I asked the girl to  pick up also roles for us. She decided that the baby-doll would be the patient, she – the doctor, and  me – the patient’s mum. While telling the story I was asking questions about the baby doll’s feelings,  what she was afraid of, what mum could do with that, what position was comfort, what could help  the doctor to conduct the treatment as quickly as possible, if telling a story (within the story) or a  poem would help the baby-doll patient during the injection. I navigated the story basing on the girl’s  answers and tried to inspire her with new possibilities during the whole story.

When we finished, I asked the girl if she wanted to participate the story once again but that time we  could change the roles. Surprisingly, she said she would be the patient and me – the doctor. And I  retold the story one more time but using the girl’s preferences suggested previously.

Then I shared my observations with girl’s parents. I’ve also talked to the child psychotherapists,  working in the clinic, about the situation. The storytelling tool integrated all people that were like  puzzles of the picture creating the integrative environment  supporting the child. Further, there were  also some visualizing tools developed – like a champion’s calendar that motivated the child to  challenge her systematically everyday and to master herself within 4 zones : joy, perseverance,  gratitude and powerful thoughts.

INSIGHT

Thanks to the storytelling tool I could understand much deeper what the patient had  been struggled with, I obtained unique answers and broadened my perspective of the  challenge. I could accompany the girl in her way to discover more healthy solutions, that  lied inside her, to tackle the situation. I had a feeling that the real value was not only in  listening the story but in co-creation the story - in experiencing better reality  that could  bring safety, trust and peace.

This tool was a starting point to iterate by parents, nurses, doctors and child therapists,  new solutions that could support the patient. To complement their knowledge,  experience, abilities and practice. As a result, the girl, supported with the whole  ecosystem of relations, not only could live through the difficult emotions for her,  find the  solutions to decrease the level of stress, get more familiar with the treatment  but also  she discovered that she liked helping people, taking care of them and being in charge of  responsible tasks. On her coming birthday, she wanted to get a toy medical set for  doctors.

APPROACH

I believe DT is a method that doesn’t apply innovative tools but to apply the tools, that  have already existed, in an innovative, creative way. It brings value in people’s life  trough adjusting the solutions according to unique needs.

Moreover, I found useful my professional experience gained within seemingly distinct,  business environments. Thanks to my translation practice I was aware of translating not  only words but the meaning and the language into personal discourse. Working within  Purchasing and Logistic Department, I understand the significance of the relation within  the value supply chain and the importance of one coherent story co-creation.  My  interests in marketing, CSR and NGO made me realize that uniting people with  interdisciplinary experiences under a clear idea can definitely create something that is  much more important than ourselves. That’s why people are not to supplement each  other but to complement each other. Simply, people need people.

