Patient-to-patient information

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As a patient-to-patient information refers to the sharing of medical information and personal experience that does not take place with the assistance of doctors or professionals in auxiliary medical jobs. Two forms are characteristic for this:

  • participation in an organized self-help group , which often has a national headquarters and regional on-site groups for direct interaction , as well
  • the individual search for information on the Internet, where many international sources of information are made available by associations as well as individuals on specific disease topics.

A research group led by Elizabeth Murray from University College London examined 28 studies on the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in patient-to-patient information. A total of more than 4,000 test subjects were involved. The researchers compared the health values ​​of the chronically ill, especially diabetics , and distinguished whether or not they used ICT technology. "We found that people who used these tech tools had more sugar in their blood than those who didn't," said Murray. According to the scientists in the Cochrane Collaboration, this is actually contrary to expectations .