Celebrating 10 years of helping patients share their experiences

Health 17 Mar 11 An award winning patient website based on research carried out at Oxford University has celebrated its 10th anniversary with the launch of information on one of the most deadly cancers of all. The experiences of patients suffering pancreatic cancer, and those of their carers, were made public at an event in London on Tuesday celebrating www.healthtalkonline.org which is run by the charity DIPEx, the Database of Individual Patient Experiences. Together with www.youthhealthtalk.org the site sheds light on more than 60 diseases and health concerns. Its success has far surpassed the expectations of founders Dr Ann McPherson CBE, a GP and Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford and Dr Andrew Herxheimer, a clinical pharmacologist and Emeritus Fellow of the UK Cochrane Centre in Oxford. 'It's been much more successful than we envisaged,' said Dr McPherson, who has contracted pancreatic cancer after suffering breast cancer 15 years ago. 'We've raised more than £8m in donations and grants from the Department of Health, voluntary organisations and charities. 'The sites are being used by patients and carers, for the teaching and training of medical students.