Proposing Patient-Centered Interventions: Insights from the NMCC Team Presentations
Part IV of the Narrative Medicine Case Competition 2024 Recap
The event room was buzzing with nervousness and excitement as the pitch submission deadline approached. Teams were encapsulated in rich discussions with their peers and mentors, trying to narrow down the focus of their proposed solution. Others were combing through the literature to explore existing resources for patients like Mrs. A and exploring areas of improvement. All of the teams were in and out of the main room, eagerly rushing to practice delivering the perfect pitch with their teammates.
Once 3:00pm hit and all teams’ submissions were received, teams were sent down one by one to the presentation room to deliver their pitch in front of the judges. Each team had 10 minutes to deliver their pitch to our wonderful panel of judges (and mentors) – Patient Partners Carolyn Canfield and Kent C. Loftsgard, and Paramedic Jeremy Teodoro– followed by 5 minutes of Q&A.
Considering each team had a different piece of Mrs. A’s story, depending on the five questions they asked on Day 1, it was fascinating to see how the pitches were shaped around the bits of patient information they knew. Interestingly, all the teams acknowledged that Mrs. A was a complex patient whose care would benefit from a multidisciplinary care team, follow-ups, improved access to resources and support networks, and more. However, as acknowledged by the judges, variations in feasibility and implementation details made the greatest differences among the teams.
One team presented a compelling proposal for a multidisciplinary clinic for patients with multidisciplinary postpartum needs with an emphasis on preventative, rather than reactive health care. Another team shared their idea for HealthConnect, a comprehensive multidisciplinary website and mobile application to streamline transparency, communication and care for patients and physicians alike. We also heard engaging pitches for the introduction of a support system of new mothers through the introduction of wellness advocates. There was also an engaging pitch revolving around the idea of a “12 month pregnancy” in which pre and postnatal care is coupled with OBGYN appointments to help support new and expecting mothers.
The winning team was Team 2, consisting of first year science students Heather Wang and George Wang, second year Integrated Sciences student Ashki Shkur, and Irene Li, a third year student in Cell & Developmental Biology. Team 2 developed a compelling pitch for the implementation of a maternal community follow up system, which would build off of the success of existing resources to deliver personalized care based on postpartum patient needs.
What stood out most about this pitch was their emphasis on the patient as an individual. The team recognized that postpartum needs and values can vary with each patient, hence their tailored interdisciplinary approach involving social workers, cultural advisors, community/cultural groups and such. The proposed system would ensure that the patient is constantly connected with the necessary resources and support group to help them navigate through their unique needs. In accordance with the idea of narrative medicine, Team 2’s solution was most faithful to the importance of taking the time to understand the patient’s story and point of view in order to deliver the most effective and well-receptive care.
Congratulations once more to Team 2 for an outstanding pitch, as well as all of the NMCC participants for their hard work and incredible presentations!
Read about the rest of the NMCC here.
– Madison Estrella (Co-Founder & Co-President)
