Allyship with Psychiatric Patients for Health Care Practice Reform: A Case Study of a Narrative Approach Using Patient-Authored Medical Records

To facilitate partnerships between nurses and their patients with psychiatric illness, it is important to provide a safe narrative space for both parties where patients can voice their opinions. A case study shows how the Patient-Authored Medical Record (PAMR) can contribute to health practice reform. A patient who visited an outpatient psychiatric clinic was asked to describe his life events. The researchers created the patient's PAMR, a first-person account of how he thought his illness could be cured, which was used when conducting follow-up meetings. The contents of the PAMR and that of subsequent meetings were used to evaluate the tool's usefulness. The narrative content of the PAMR and the follow-up meetings reflected a reduction in the patient's symptoms and a change in his perception of his illness. Patient-authored medical records could be a step toward health-care reform. Allyships created with patients can form new cooperative two-way relationships that are more equal than authoritative one-way relationships.