# Forums 'empower' people with diabetes



## Northerner (Oct 8, 2009)

This is an academic study investigating how forums (or 'fora' to give it its proper plural!) are helping to place the person with diabetes at the centre of their care. There's a lot of (often 'lip service') talk about how the PWD is the head of their own healthcare team, but often the reality is that healthcare professionals see themselves as 'care-givers' and us as 'care-receivers' - they think they know best, as has been recently seen in the debate about testing for Type 2s!

It's quite long (hence me having to post it on my blog rather than directly here!), but very interesting. Skip to 'Methodology' if you don't have time to read the background theories (although they are worth reading too!)

http://diabetespoetry.blogspot.com/2009/10/this-is-academic-study-investigating.html


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## VBH (Oct 9, 2009)

Interesting.  I'm fairly sure I know which two forums he looked at as well.  Odd that he only spoke to two people though.

There is a much larger study underway where the principal researcher (not a student) has spoken to many more individuals and its not just focussed on diabetes.  Its concerned with the benefits of forums and online involvement.  I've seen the preliminary findings and they do make interesting reading, but just waiting on publication.


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## coldclarity (Oct 10, 2009)

Very interesting. It's really good to read a formal study saying what I'm sure we all feel to be true. I've been involved in other forums that were 'self-help' focused, and much of the 'community and information empowering the patient' stuff was true there too.


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## Northerner (Oct 10, 2009)

It should be pointed out that this is only the 'Executive Summary' and not the full study in detail. Have you guessed which was our forum?


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## katie (Oct 10, 2009)

Blue!

who wrote this?


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## Northerner (Oct 10, 2009)

katie said:


> Blue!
> 
> who wrote this?



Correct! It was a researcher from Southamton University.


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