Dr Jessica Watson, GP and NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer, Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol with: Fiona Hamilton, poet; Terreka Baptiste, public contributor; Julie Clayton, Senior Research Associate (Patient & Public Involvement & Engagement), Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol.
Blood testing and poetry? At first sight this probably seems a strange combination. As GP and a researcher it has certainly taken me outside of my comfort zone.
As a GP I talk to patients about their blood tests every day, but it was only when I started to do research in this area that I began to get an insight into the lived experience of patients trying to navigate complex systems to get hold of their results. My qualitative research brought up themes of uncertainty and anxiety, but I felt that writing academic papers didn’t do enough to give voice to the patients’ experience of testing.
I applied to the NIHR School for Primary Care Research for a small amount of funding to use poetry as a novel approach to patient and public involvement and engagement, with a particular focus on underserved communities.
Why poetry? Well in the words of one of our workshop participants “using poetry makes it a more personal and a powerful way of getting the message across.” It was also a chance to try something new, and to explore different ways of meaningfully engaging with public contributors.
So what did we do? We invited members of the public from diverse communities to attend poetry workshops, co-facilitated by Fiona Hamilton (a poet) and Terreka Baptiste (a public contributor). We started with an icebreaker activity, in which participants were invited to respond to a range of objects to create a shared poem. We then introduced the topic of blood tests; which turned out to be a powerful lightning rod to stimulate discussion. Everyone in the room had something important they wanted to share about their personal experiences, and we captured the words and phrases from participants on strips of paper using their own words.
A short break for refreshments gave our poets, Fiona and Terreka, a chance to take these pieces of paper, select those with particular resonance, and rearrange them to create a ‘found’ poem. There was a real sense that we had collaboratively created something important, with a spontaneous round of applause when Fiona and Terreka together performed the poem at the end of the workshop. As one participant said it was ‘a distillation of the essence of our thoughts’.
So what next? Our participants have created a powerful piece of poetry, which we plan to use as a touchstone for the next stage in our research journey, which will involve using co-production methods to improve accessibility of blood test results for diverse communities. We will share the poem at research team meetings and in focus groups with stakeholders to make sure that the discussion is grounded by the patient voice.
So could this be another way for the research community to engage with patient and public contributors? Well, one participant summarized the workshop as ‘excellent – did not think it could be done!”. One of the really exciting things about this approach is that you just don’t know what will come out of the room when you allow the creativity to flow. So if you want to engage with public and bring to life their views on an important research topic then why not give it a go?
Found Poem: It should be ‘we’, not ‘us and them’
Give me more information in advance! Please!
When they throw something at you
Your blood level is 49
What does 49 mean?
You start googling
It should be ‘we’, not ‘us and them’
Although I can access results online
I can’t usually understand them
Vulnerable, helpless, dependent, isolated, confused
Somebody knows more about your body than you do
Help me understand
What does ‘stable’ mean?
What does ‘satisfactory’ mean?
No-one tells me why or what for.
‘It’s normal’ doesn’t mean anything.
It should be ‘we’, not ‘us and them’
Having a friendly nurse was so important
A good feeling and safe environment
you worry
when you’re waiting for the results.
I usually tell them
my right arm is easy to take blood
not the left one.
Do they listen?
Not always.
It should be ‘we’, not ‘us and them’
Update 24 October 2024
We are delighted to be able to share this video prodcution of the poem, thanks to the skills of young Bristol film maker, Patch de Salis:
Acknowledgements
- Patch DeSalis, PatchUp productions for creating this video: @patchdesalis9092
- Fiona Hamilton, poet: http://www.fionahamilton.org/about.html
- Barton Hill Coffee morning group, Barton Hill Micro-campus, Bristol
- Dr Julie Clayton, Bristol Medical School, who co-facilitated the workshops
- The NIHR School for Primary Care Research for funding this project