Storytelling and Health: Best Practices From the American College of Rheumatology's Simple Tasks Campaign

Background: In September 2011, the American College of Rheumatology launched the Simple Tasks campaign to educate and inform lawmakers, administration officials, think tanks, advocacy groups, physicians and physician groups on the importance of rheumatology, as well as to increase the understanding of the work of rheumatologists and lay a foundation of awareness that creates support for more favorable public policy.

Program background: The campaign targets influential people and groups who are responsible for significant decisions about these health care issues. Our goal is to ensure these decision makers have the right information about rheumatic diseases and rheumatologists to make decisions that positively impact the rheumatology community. This presents a challenge, as rheumatic diseases are often overlooked and gaining attention and keeping the attention of these influential people can be difficult. After evaluating trends on the ways in which rheumatic diseases and rheumatologists are perceived and understood, the ACR made the decision to share this campaign's messages through the art of storytelling. The ultimate goal was to humanize the stories of individuals touched by rheumatic disease to resonate with the target audiences and make an impact on their decision-making. These personal stories convey the life-changing impact of rheumatic disease and the crucial role of rheumatologists in the individuals’ own words and voice. By harnessing the power of the individual and the art of storytelling, the Simple Tasks campaign continues to speak to core audiences and influence public policy and ultimately improve the health and well-being of those living with a rheumatic disease.

Evaluation Methods and Results: Through conversations with the target audiences, it’s clear the art of storytelling and the Simple Tasks campaign's messages immediately resonate with each target audience, meeting the campaign’s goal of informing, educating and improving the lives of those affected by rheumatic disease. Due to the overwhelmingly positive response to the campaign's efforts, storytelling platforms have continued to expand:

• 9 campaign videos:
• Increased website visibility
• Nearly 10 patient case studies
• More than fifteen one minute audio messages
• Nearly 400 Facebook and Twitter followers
• ACRSimpleTasks YouTube Channel/Page
• 13 total videos
• Two playlists
• Multiple subscribers
• More than 1,900 likes and comments
• Simple Tasks Blog site
• More than 100 monthly visitors
• Visitors spend an average of 2 minutes and 28 seconds on the blog

Conclusions: The integration of stories throughout the aforementioned platforms allowed the Simple Tasks team to target multiple audiences efficiently and effectively; maximum impact with minimum effort. The campaign team was able to be more innovative, spending less time on process. Ultimately the teams creativity and resourcefulness using storytelling in public health expanding the campaign’s reach, bringing the Simple Tasks messages to audiences across the United States and the world

Implications for research and/or practice: Though requiring significant time, resources and true collaboration, humanizing a campaign message through storytelling can help improve the way information is received and recognized. This is an essential component in increasing awareness, furthering education and improving the quality of life of people living with a chronic debilitating rheumatic disease.