Websites sharing patient experiences expand

Kishorn and Shannon, two young people interviewed for the website www.youthhealthtalk.org, along with Dr Ann McPherson, medical director of the Health Experiences Research Group at Oxford (2nd from left) and Prue Leith, ex-chair of The School Food Trust. Three new sections of Healthtalkonline.org and Youthhealthtalk.org, the award-winning websites of patient experiences based on Oxford University research, are now available. The online resources allow people with different health conditions and illnesses share and benefit from the experiences of others who have been in the same position. The new sections are aimed at those diagnosed with leukaemia, young people with weight problems, and women who have had a particular type of abnormal cells picked up during cervical screening. Each section is based on interviews with a wide range of different people, and includes video and audio clips of people discussing their experiences and various issues that confronted them, in order to help others in the same situation. The websites aim to help those immediately affected by the health condition or a new diagnosis, their family and friends, and also help doctors, nurses and other professionals understand what people are going through. The material is based on qualitative research carried out by the Health Experiences Research Group at the University of Oxford.