- 14Aug
Study: Sources of information used by patients prior to elective surgery
A new scoping review aims to describe the range and nature of available research regarding sources of information patients access to inform their decisions about elective surgery. The authors argue in order to improve patient health literacy, more needs to be known regarding whether patients are utilising any of the information available to them in…
- 14Aug
‘My view, and that of 3,980 other patients’
In this article, Tessa Richards highlights that a recent survey of cancer patients provides insight into where care is not meeting their needs – and that this may well reflect the situation in other serious conditions. She discusses the main findings from the All.Can survey of cancer patients and how they relate to her own…
- 14Aug
New IBD standards to transform care
IBD UK has updated the national IBD Standards outlining what high-quality care should look like at every point of a person’s journey. The partnership of 17 professional and patient organisations also launched the IBD Patient Survey and the IBD Benchmarking Tool earlier this year. IBD Standards is split into seven main sections – The IBD Service, Pre-diagnosis,…
- 14Aug
Strong bones after 50: fracture liaison services explained
The Royal College of Physicians has launched a guide and animation providing jargon-free information to patients and carers for supporting older people who have broken a bone following a fall. By giving information about bone health and fracture prevention Strong bones after 50: Fracture liaison services explained aims to give patients the confidence to approach their…
- 1Aug
Digital copies of copyrighted material now available to patients
Staff working for the NHS in England can now provide digital copies from books, journals and magazines to patients and their carers or guardians. At the request of PIF member Health Education England (HEE), the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) has successfully consulted with rightsholders to include this new permission in the CLA Licence Plus Agreement…
- 24Jul
What about the patients?
In this new series Jeremy Taylor, former chief executive of National Voices, talks to people undertaking work with patients, families and carers. In this article he interviews Annie Laverty, Chief Experience Officer at Northumbria Healthcare Foundation Trust. She discusses how the trust designed a comprehensive way of understanding the quality of patient experience across its 11 hospital sites,…
- 24Jul
Embedding patient stories at the heart of healthcare
In this article Marie Ennis-O’Connor discusses the importance of embedding patient stories at the heart of healthcare. She explores how stories shape human beings’ lives and cites research suggesting a story can be used to build a ‘bridge of empathy and compassion’ in healthcare. Marie also argues stories have the potential to build bridges between data…
- 17Jul
Promoting trust in the era of artificial intelligence
This article discusses how technology is changing relationships between patients and physicians and how patient-physician trust can be maintained or even improved. The authors believe this issue is paramount in the era of artificial intelligence and machine learning. They argue the potential effects of AI on trust between physicians and patients should be explicitly designed…
- 10Jul
The role of health libraries in patient information
In this article, Deena Maggs discusses the role of health libraries in providing better health information and better outcomes for patients. She emphasises the importance of evidence-based information which is clinically accurate, up-to-date and easy to understand for patients. As part of a Health Education England senior leadership programme, Deena has been working on a project focused on…
- 10Jul
Identifying good online information about cancer
New guidance has been published to help people identify good online information about cancer. The JAMA Network guidance includes four key signs of trustworthy content, for example transparency about the identity and qualifications of information providers, and four warning signs of bad information. It also outlines what information is available online, which information can be…