The Journey Begins

Hardy and Sumner introduce the background and history of the Patient Voices Programme, which they co-founded, establishing the historical context and identifying some of the forces at work in the fields of education, technology, and the politics of healthcare. They set out their twin aspirations of transforming healthcare and developing an innovative educational resource—promoting deep reflection through the authentic stories of patients, carers, and clinicians—before tracing the early development of the Programme. Reflecting on some of the important lessons they learned along the way, such as the centrality of good listening, the authors consider the ethical implications of creating digital stories in the healthcare context and the realisation that process and product are equally important in the world of digital storytelling.