Bringing humanity back into healthcare
Ibtissam Aboudaoud
Drawing on her experience in the healthcare sector, Ibtissam is committed to a fundamental shift: from care that is mainly driven by protocols and workload, towards care in which attention, culture, and humanity are central.
Nurse Ibti
Ibtissam is no stranger within the HZ Changemakers. In 2025, she was nominated, then still as a fourth-year Nursing student. For her initiative, she received a “special token of recognition.” She has since graduated and started her own enterprise: Nurse Ibti.
With Nurse Ibti, Ibtissam focuses on sustainable change within healthcare organisations. Instead of prioritising systems and procedures, she brings the human dimension back into practice. Through workshops, guest lectures, and training sessions, she addresses topics that are often underexposed, such as palliative care, ethical reflection, grief, and cultural sensitivity. In doing so, she provides healthcare professionals not only with knowledge, but above all with practical tools to listen more consciously and act with greater attentiveness.
The human behind the care request
What distinguishes her approach is the emphasis on the stories behind the patient. Ibtissam creates space for conversations that are often skipped in daily practice, but which are essential for delivering good care. By making these topics discussable, more openness arises within teams and understanding of the human behind the care request grows.
The impact of her work is visible on multiple levels. Healthcare professionals experience more reflection and connection in their work, while patients and their families receive care that better aligns with their background, culture, and personal situation. In addition, Ibtissam reaches a broad audience via social media, stimulating the conversation about human-centred care beyond healthcare institutions.
Good care starts with listening
What drives her is a simple but powerful belief: good care starts with listening. Not only to symptoms or records, but to people and their stories. According to her, this is precisely where the key to better and more humane care lies.
Ibtissam shows that change in healthcare is not only about new systems or policies, but above all about a different way of seeing and listening. With Nurse Ibti, she makes that change tangible, step by step, in everyday practice.
