An online platform to share information with healthcare professional about what matters to you, to enable person-centred, holistic care

Mycarematters is an online platform where people can store information they want healthcare professionals to know about them, helping staff to provide dignified and person-centred care. This is particularly important when, as a result of a long term condition like dementia or a temporary delirium, the person is unable to communicate their needs and preferences for themselves. The individual or their advocate is guided through a set of questions and is given the opportunity to upload photos and provide emergency contacts details. They are issued with a unique code (currently .printed on a key fob and stickers) which hospital staff can use in a quick and easy process to access the person's information via any internet-linked device. Digital solutions for healthcare are being developed by the score but they all focus on a person’s medical condition. Mycarematters prioritises the ‘whole person’: their needs and preferences, the things that matter to them. Information stored will include issues such as dietary preferences, state of eyesight and hearing, level of mobility, preferred music and hobbies etc so as to avoid traumatic mistakes as well as encourage the development of empathy in staff members for their patients. Where empathy exists the quality of care increases and this translates into improved outcomes like shorter stays, reduced falls and an improved state of overall health and wellbeing.
Anyone with a person's name, date of birth and Mycarematters Code can access the person's Mycarematters Record and either view it online or download and print it out an A4 single sheet of paper. This can be displayed on a Mycarematters Board on the wall behind the bed or in a locker-top display. The important thing to ensure is that it is available to everyone interacting with the person, whether doctor, nurse, healthcare assistant, volunteer, porter, kitchen or housekeeping staff, who all have the potential to improve a person's hospital experience when they know something about them.