- 19Jun
Information gives hope
In this article, Mark Lesselroth describes how information and peer support helped him accept his vision impairment could worsen. He discusses what happened following his narrow angle glaucoma diagnosis and how acknowledging gaps in knowledge can be reassuring, rather than letting patients assume information is being withheld. The article emphasises the importance of knowing good information is available,…
- 19Jun
Addressing health literacy with How to Talk to Your Doctor (HTTTYD) HANDbook programme
A study evaluating the effectiveness of the How to Talk to Your Doctor (HTTTYD) HANDbook Programme has been published. It found a significant increase in health literacy after participation in HANDbook and an increase in overall confidence among patients. The American programme addresses health literacy among rural participants who have low incomes, with a focus on…
- 12Jun
Patient leaflets raise awareness of evidence-based interventions
A series of leaflets giving patients more information on evidence-based interventions has been launched. The NHS England leaflets give information on anaesthesia and pain, ear, nose and throat disorders, haematological disorders, musculo-skeletal disorders, paediatric and neonatal medicine, skin disorders and surgery. Each leaflet describes the condition relating to that intervention, the benefits and risks of treatment,…
- 12Jun
New promotional materials for bowel cancer screening
Public Health England has published new leaflets to give patients more information on the bowel cancer screening process. The new materials provide instructions on how to use the home test kits provided by the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme, having a colonoscopy following an abnormal result, and the benefits and risks of bowel cancer screening. www.gov.uk/government/publications/bowel-cancer-screening-kit-how-to-use
- 6Jun
Measuring patient engagement: why and how we need to address patient centricity
In this article Emma Sutcliffe, Richard Evans and PIF founder Mark Duman discuss what ‘good’ patient engagement looks like. They focus on the challenges and opportunities in quantifying patient engagement in Pharma. NexGen Healthcare Communications use their own experience of developing patient engagement audit HaloGEN as a case study. healthmanagement.org
- 8Nov
You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
Excerpts from an article by AbbVie: Millions of patients in the UK live with long-term conditions. Is there a way to empower patients to be more involved in decisions about their care, which ultimately reduces pressure on the NHS? It turns out that the solution could be as simple as improving the accessibility of local…
- 27Sep
BMA Patient Information Awards – Results!
Nicole Naylor, Head of Operations at PIF, was delighted to attend the BMA Patient Information Awards on Tuesday this week and see so many PIF members awarded for the hard work that they do. PIF took part in the awards process as both reviewers and on the judging panel. Nicole presented the Runner Up Special…
- 7Jun
National health charities join information prescribing pilot in Nottinghamshire
An information prescribing pilot project allowing healthcare professionals to send patients direct links to resources from some of the country’s leading health charities gets underway in Nottinghamshire in June. RECAP Health is a digital product resulting from a partnership between Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Health2Works. The Patient Information Forum (PIF) has joined the…
- 5Apr
Vaccines: information is key
This article is from European Patients Forum EPF: In his State of the European Union address on 13 September 2017, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker identified equal access to vaccines as a specific priority. Patients with chronic diseases are often at high-risk of complications from diseases for which vaccines exist. Even though specific vaccination recommendations often…
- 15Mar
Study: Understanding the role of health information in patients’ experiences
Understanding the role of health information in patients’ experiences: secondary analysis of qualitative narrative interviews with people diagnosed with cancer in Germany The objective of this paper in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Open was to analyse the role and meaning of health information in individuals’ experiences with either breast, colorectal or prostate cancer in…