Patient Opinion is working to improve patient care through patient stories  - as Internet Artizans describe us, we are “using the web to pack a social punch”.   Others have similar thoughts about the how patient experiences might help create a better healthcare system.

Richard Smith’s article in the Guardian last month describes how an online database Cases Journal is aiming to collect information from patients about their conditions, to help others with similar conditions, or combinations of conditions, find useful information to use in conversations with their own GPs. 

Smith highlights the fact that people with 3 or more conditions (heart disease, diabetes, asthma, chronic respiratory disease, arthritis, depression etc) account for 80% of healthcare activity, but, as Smith says “randomised trials that provide the best evidence tend to leave out patients who have more than one condition in order to limit the number of variables and aid interpretation.”

This is where patient experience comes in.  The idea is that you can search the Cases Journal database, find a story which is similar to your own, and then have some "evidence" for helping you and your doctor to decide what to do.

When all we rely on is targets, numbers, stats and “quantifiable” evidence, we sometimes lose sight of the information which can help us make choices about complex situations.  We can learn so much from experiences, in terms of understanding the human side of any situation, to add and compliment the scientific knowledge we already have.

Just like Patient Opinion, Cases Journal is using the real experiences of patients to improve care, and contributing to sites like these can help you make real difference to your own and others lives.