ROCHESTER, Minn., and ARLINGTON, Va. _ Mayo Clinic and the Inspire health care social network recently launched "Experts by Experience," a new series of articles written by patients and caregivers.
Everyone has a story to tell. It has been well-established that telling one's narrative helps build hope and connections. "We have long believed that patient and caregiver stories have considerable power to not just improve their own health care experience, but to improve health care overall," says Farris Timimi, M.D., a Mayo Clinic cardiologist and medical director for the Mayo Clinic Social Media Network, a collaborative learning community and resources for advancing the use of social media in health.
"I'm excited to see this collaboration," says Dave deBronkart, e-Patient and co-founder of the Society for Participatory Medicine. "Publicizing these true stories will awaken, inform and strengthen people's capacity to partner in their care for themselves and for their families."
Experts by Experience articles will feature members of Inspire and Mayo Clinic Connect, which are online support communities for patients and caregivers that connect over 1 million people. Contributors to the series have received care from centers and organizations in various health systems around the world.
"The powerful firsthand stories uncover opportunities for quality improvement for health care organizations and providers," says Brian Loew, CEO of Inspire. "Anyone who is not directly affected by the conditions or experiences described in the articles, such as medical professionals, health service providers, staff, health communicators, health industry professionals and the general public, can gain a much better understanding of the lived experience."
The articles will appear monthly on the Mayo Clinic Social Media Network and on Inspire.
