Seeking Comfort and Demanding Agency—An Autoethnographic Exploration of a Patient and Partner Experience

Abstract

This article applies an autoethnographic approach to the journey a patient and their partner undertook as they negotiated a medical adverse event. The resultant cascade of conditions lasted almost 4 years and resulted in the eventual death of the patient. The narrative is told from the dual perspectives of both the patient and their partner, providing a valuable resource for the practice of patient and family-centered care. This article illuminates the patient's experience of comfort across a continuum of healthcare settings and how both the patient and their partner were able to enact agency despite challenging institutional barriers, to become partners in their healthcare journey.