It may seem like a tiny change, but it can make a world of difference: Moving from asking patients or colleagues, “What’s the matter?” to “What matters to you?”
That slight rephrasing “is important, because it’s about how the person, not the disease or the condition, is at the center of improving health and healthcare,” says Maureen Bisognano, President Emerita and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
Inspired by a 2012 New England Journal of Medicine article written by Dr. Michael Barry and Susan Edgman-Levitan and adopted in 49 countries, the “What Matters To You? (WMTY) model has gained traction during COVID-19 for patients and among clinicians.
Tuesday, June 9, 2020, is the annual What Matters To You Day, launched in 2014 by Anders Vege at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Resources in seven languages include toolkits, posters and a video in 17 languages (www.WMTY.World) for anyone interested in adopting the model.
WMTY conversations help healthcare teams understand what is important to patients, leading to evidence-based better partnerships and improved patient experience. The original concept was grounded in the science and spirit of shared decision making and motivational interviewing to underscore the need to meet people where they are and understand what is important to them in making healthcare decisions.
Shaun Maher at NHS Education for Scotland shares a poignant story that demonstrates the WMTY power. “A deaf man went to the clinic to pick up a doorbell flasher. The tech asked him, ‘Is there anything else that matters to you?’ The man mentioned that he couldn’t cope with social gatherings, because his hearing aids picked up noise. He was isolated and depressed. The tech offered him an assistive listening device, and a few weeks later he said this device had transformed his life.”
Karen Turner at the Royal Free Hospital in London describes a WMTY response from colleagues during the COVID crisis. “Staff said they were struggling to access fresh fruit, vegetables and daily essential items. They were exhausted after long shifts and going home to no food. We set up a free pop-up supermarket where our staff can take six items each day.”
Follow us on social media: @WMTYWorld. Instead of asking, what’s the matter, try What Matters To You?
| Toolkit from Montefiore |
| Damara Gutnick and her terrific team at Montefiore in New York developed an incredible 52-page interactive toolkit to help organizations implement WMTY programs. The document describes the WMTY background, importance, change management tips, plus a patient experience and a staff engagement track, and a long list of resources including case studies, posters, video clips, training materials, partner lists and podcasts. You can find this important resource at: https://montefiorehvc.org/what-matters-to-you/ |