The Patient Experience ─ The Importance of Care, Communication, and Compassion in the Hospital Room

Brian Boyle tells a personal story of his fight back from near death after a horrific automobile accident. He focuses on his experience as a patient who, while in a two-month long medically induced coma, was unable to move or talk to anyone around him, yet he was able to hear, see and feel pain. Brian slowly clawed his way back to the living and found the strength to live to tell his story in his acclaimed memoir, Iron Heart.

Now Brian provides vital information from the patient’s perspective to help caregivers gain valuable insight that will help them understand new ways on how to provide care to both patients and their families. By completion of this book, the participant will be able to:

Recognize the variety of feelings and emotions of the patient
Identify simple methods and interventions to provide emotional support to relax the patient
Determine the importance of particular amenities to a patient who may be unable to communicate
Evaluate patient life-history to determine appropriate intervention techniques
Understand the motivational role that communication has between the healthcare provider and the patient and his or her family

Brian’s story about catastrophe, survival, and transcending all odds has implemented new and innovative strategies for improving patient safety and quality of care on a national level, as well as serving as a learning experience for healthcare providers of all levels and backgrounds. When it comes to the patient experience, Brian has become a mouthpiece for the voiceless.

Brian Boyle has been on a mission to make an impact in healthcare education since he left the hospital in 2004. He has been recognized for his contributions with several national awards, including the American Red Cross Presidential Award for Excellence, the Daily Points of Light Award, the Johns Hopkins Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service award, and the Champion of Change award from President Obama. Brian is the National Volunteer Spokesman of the American Red Cross, a columnist with The Huffington Post, a patient advocate for The Armstrong Institute, and is currently in grad school at Johns Hopkins University earning his master’s degree in health communication and an MBA with a concentration in healthcare management. He resides in Annapolis, Maryland.