Originally published by Lucien Engelen on LinkedIn: Another leap in empowering the patient.
Today we take another step forward in empowering patients. CMyLife, an important project which has started in our REshape Center at Radboudumc and was carefully developed with both patients and medical professionals, will be launched in its first phase during the annual CML-Patients Day.
CMyLife is an online platform for patients, their relatives and caregivers. It’s a great example of the collaborative power between patients and medical professionals; by working together they created a platform that empowers the patient and gives them 'their damn data’.
Interactive website
With a website containing understandable information about their illness and treatment, patients with a chronic disease (like chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) in this case) can take control and responsibility over their own treatment. Questions can be asked at any time and will be answered by professionals. With the data of their every three month blood check, patients can see for themselves how their treatment is progressing. (Dutch video)
App to collect data
With an app, like there are many today, patients can record conversations they have with any doctor. A tool, the Dutch Minister of Healthcare Edith Schippers, encourages. (Dutch video)
Share and support
Doctors have great knowledge, but patients probably know just as much, only in a different way. That is why the REshape project also developed a forum where patients can support each other and also learn from each other.
People with a chronic disease will depend their entire life on doctors and medication. Fortunately treatment can make their life expectation almost equal to healthy people, but no one wants to be ruled by their illness, doctors or medication. If patients and care givers keep working and listening to each other, CMyLife will continue to develop and empower the chronic leukaemia patients. But it also enables caregivers to make their care even more specialised to the patient. The goal is to let the CML patients live the life they want; not a life the doctor prescribes.
Take a look at www.cmylife.nl.
Not only Radboudumc also VU medical center, Albert Schweitzer hospital, UMC Goningen and AMC decided to collaborate in this project.