How do you share patient stories and data with stakeholders?

1 Know your audience

Before you craft your message, you need to understand who you are talking to and what they care about. What are their goals, challenges, values, and interests? How familiar are they with the patient perspective and the issues you want to address? How do they prefer to receive information and feedback? Knowing your audience will help you tailor your tone, language, style, and format to suit their needs and expectations.

2 Choose your format

When sharing patient stories and data, the format you choose should depend on your audience and purpose. You could write a report or blog post to provide detailed analysis and recommendations based on patient data and insights. Additionally, a presentation or webinar can engage and educate your audience with visual aids such as graphs, charts, photos, or videos. You could also record a podcast or video interview to showcase the personal experiences and emotions of patients and their families. Finally, a social media campaign or newsletter can be used to raise awareness and spark conversation among a wider audience.

4 Respect patient privacy and consent

When you share patient stories and data, you have a responsibility to protect their privacy and respect their consent. You should only use information that patients have voluntarily and explicitly agreed to share, and that is relevant and necessary for your message. You should also anonymize or de-identify any personal or sensitive information, such as names, dates, locations, or medical details, unless patients have given you permission to disclose them. You should also acknowledge the source of the information, and give credit and recognition to the patients who contributed.

5 Seek feedback and collaboration

Sharing patient stories and data is not a one-way process. You should also seek feedback and collaboration from your stakeholders, and from the patients themselves. Ask them what they think of your message, how they plan to use it, and what they need from you. Invite them to share their own stories and data, and to join you in advocacy efforts. Listen to their perspectives, concerns, and suggestions, and be open to learning and improving. By sharing patient stories and data with stakeholders, you can build trust, understanding, and partnership.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?