DIPEx (Database of Individual Patient Experiences) is an

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-based health charity that works closely with many researchers including the Health Experiences Research Group at

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to disseminate research into personal experiences of health and illness. The charity publishes its works through the website healthtalk.org, which features interviews of people talking about their experiences of living with a range of health conditions and are aimed at patients, their carers, family and friends, doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals.

History

DIPEx was established in 2001 by GP Dr Ann McPherson

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and clinical pharmacologist

Andrew Herxheimer Andrew Herxheimer (4 November 1925 – 21 February 2016) was a German-born British clinical pharmacologist. He was "interested in all aspects of providing independent, unbiased, clear and concise information about therapeutic interventions to pro ...

after their own experiences of illness. Ann had been diagnosed with breast cancer and although she knew all the medical information, couldn't find anyone else to talk to about the personal and emotional side of having the disease. This, and Herxheimer's experience of knee replacement surgery, prompted them to come up with the idea of a patient experience website. A small group of people from various backgrounds were asked to join a Steering Group and after many meetings around McPherson's kitchen table, the idea came into being with the help of Lion New Media (part of Lion Television).

Methods

The interviews featured on the websites are carried out through in-depth qualitative research into over 100 different illnesses and health conditions. Research is undertaken by many different research institutes. Oxford'
Health Experiences Research Group
research group is a key contributor. HERG has been rated as a highly performing primary care department in the country in research assessments.

Awards and accreditation

DIPEx has won six "Commended"s and two "Highly Commended"s from the British Medical Association Patient Information Awards between 2004 and 2009. In 2009 they won "Third Sector Organisation of The Year" from the HealthInvestor Awards. DIPEx has been rated among the top ten online health resources by

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Newspaper in 2004 and one of five health websites included in

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newspaper's 'Top 50 websites you can't live without' in 2013. Both Youthhealthtalk and Healthtalkonline are approved by the

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...

's Information Standard scheme. In May 2011, McPherson won the '' British Medical Journals Health Communicator of the Year Award.

Supporters

Patrons of the charity include Jon Snow,

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, Lord Turnberg and previously Professor Sir David Weatherall. Well-known figures have supported the charity or contributed video introductions for the websites including

Philip Pullman Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy '' His Dark Materials'' and '' The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'', a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, ''T ...

Clive Anderson Clive Stuart Anderson (born 10 December 1952) is an English television and radio presenter, comedy writer, and former barrister. Winner of a British Comedy Award in 1991, Anderson began experimenting with comedy and writing comedic scripts durin ...

Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been descri ...

, Melvyn Bragg, Dawn French and

Michael Palin Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, television presenter, and public speaker. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. Since 1980, he has made a number of travel documentaries. Palin w ...

References

{{Reflist Charities based in Oxfordshire Health charities in the United Kingdom Patient advocacy