DS 9 Collect and Share Drowning Narratives to Supplement Data
Collect and disseminate verified drowning and rescue narratives to provide context to quantitative data for water safety education.
Spectrum level: Changing Organizational Practices Promoting Community Education
Evidence level: Low
Rationale:
Stories of those impacted by fatal and nonfatal drowning events can be a powerful motivator for engagement, learning, and change. Additionally, stories can be used to help bring quantitative data to life. For some communities, stories of these real experiences can be more meaningful than quantitative information, and these stories can help motivate policy makers. Finally, this process may provide a way for those grieving from or impacted by a drowning incident to engage in a meaningful way.
Anticipated Impact:
After implementing this recommendation, you can expect to experience the following outcomes.
- Providing stories of those impacted by fatal and nonfatal drowning events is a powerful motivator for engagement, learning, and change.
- Providing stories of those impacted by fatal and nonfatal drowning events helps bring quantitative data to life.
- Providing stories of those impacted by fatal and nonfatal drowning events leads to more persuasive data than quantitative data for some groups
- Providing stories of those impacted by fatal and nonfatal drowning events leads to more motivated policy makers.
- The storytelling process may provide a way for those grieving from or impacted by a drowning incident to engage.
Evidence:
It is well known that storytelling can be a powerful motivator. Policymakers often can be more readily motivated by a constituent’s story. Additionally, telling one’s story can assist with healing following a trauma.
Storytelling has been explored for other areas of injury prevention
Evidence Sources:
Kristoff N. Advice for Saving the World. Outdoor Magazine. 2009 https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/nicholas-kristofs-advice-saving-world/
Ricketts M, Shanteau J, McSpadden B, Fernandez-Medina KM. Using stories to battle unintentional injuries: narratives in safety and health communication. Soc Sci Med. 2010 May;70(9):1441-9. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.12.036. Epub 2010 Feb 12. PMID: 20176428.
Hawaii State Department of Health, Emergency Medical Services & Injury Prevention System Branch. Voices of Injury Prevention: Storytelling Handbook. https://health.hawaii.gov/injuryprevention/files/2016/03/Voices-of-Injury-Prevention-Storytelling-Handbook.pdf
McCall B, Shallcross L, Wilson M, Fuller C, Hayward A. Storytelling as a research tool and intervention around public health perceptions and behaviour: a protocol for a systematic narrative review. BMJ Open. 2019 Dec 3;9(12):e030597. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030597. PMID: 31796479; PMCID: PMC6924770.
The HealthComm Toolbox. Storytelling for Health Communication. https://www.letstalkpublichealth.com/health-communication-storytelling.html
High Risk Populations Addressed:
All populations can benefit from implementation of this recommendation.
Evaluation Metrics:
Indicators of long-term impact:
- Increase in presentations and reports more routinely including such stories for greater impact.
- Presentations, media stories, and policy discussions track the use of the gathered narratives
- Feedback from those who provided narratives to assess the effects of participation is gathered
Indicators of intermediate impact:
- A database of narratives related to fatal and nonfatal drownings and rescues is development, dissemination, and used
Indicators of initial impact:
- A process by which narratives can be captured and shared is developed
Implementation:
Consider the following to ensure successful implementation:
- Consider reaching out to connect and learn from those who have developed models like MADD and Parents against tip-overs (https://stoptipovers.org/)
- Review organizations that are already working in this area,
- Pulling their efforts together under one umbrella would be worthwhile but may be difficult.
- Developed the process as a guided interview to ensure that relevant information is gathered in a usable form.
- Obtain permission from those providing narratives so that the stories they provide might be used in public health, media, and policy presentations.
Challenges to Implementation:
When implementing this recommendation, you might encounter challenges related to the following factors.
- The infrastructure to guide collection and compilation along with a system to gauge accuracy and dissemination where most effective may be lacking.
Potential Facilitators:
The following factors might facilitate the implementation of this recommendation.
- Families of those who have suffered a fatal drowning are a group of people that are identifiable, but are often close-knit.
- Assistance from groups like Families United will help support and reach families to help provide these important narratives.
GAP Recommendation:
None