Example: The Importance of Being a Pro-Active Patient

I'm posting this somewhat hastily since I'm on the clock right now, but  e-patients.net just posted a great story by a pro-active patient, Kenneth Spriggs, who created the above infographic charting his medication history over two decades of various inflammatory issues, including IBD. (It's far more impressive than the various spreadsheets I've kept over the years, although if you ask me it could use a few more pooh puns.)

I'm a firm believer in the importance of being a pro-active patient - your history and your data is yours and you should know it more intimately than any doctor you have or will interact with. You will always be one of many other patients and doctors are, after all, flawed humans like the rest of us - even the best will make mistakes or have bad days, which is why I cannot stress enough how important it is to stay proactive!

Check out Spriggs' pet project DIYEHR to learn more about collecting your health data.