David Wu

David Wu

Discipline: Physician
Funding awarded to: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Bayview Medical Center

Integrating a Narrative Approach to Goals of Care Conversations in the Intensive Care Unit

We have developed a novel approach to goals of care conversations, the 3-Act Model, centered on artfully listening and responding to the individualized stories of patients in a fluid and adaptive manner. The primary aim of this project is to integrate the 3-Act Model with systems changes in the medical intensive care unit--thoughtfully engaging the interprofessional team--and evaluate the impact on number of goals of care conversations, quality of communication, and goal concordant care.

“I have found my home as director of Palliative Care at Hopkins Bayview. I envision leading our program to further flourish, creating systems and culture change broadly at our institution. The Sojourns award will expand my breadth (learning from an interprofessional community of experts and peers) and depth (gaining expertise in implementation science and culture change), enabling me to grow as a thought leader. Through a narrative-based training model integrated into thoughtful organizational methods, I aim to inspire and educate a wide interprofessional audience to practice artful goals of care conversations. After all, our patients and families deserve more than science alone; they deserve the art of medicine.”