'We want to empower patients'

By Jane Elliott
BBC News Health reporter

Their work started as a hobby

Dr Tim Kenny and wife Beverley are firm believers in giving their patients as many PILS as they want and need.

Not medication, but patient information leaflets.

Worried that patients are not fully informed about their conditions and illnesses, the Tyneside-based GPs decided to print their own leaflets to empower worried patients.

And the system, which started off as merely a hobby eight years ago, has rapidly thrived and now includes a successful patient website.

Information

Another bonus is that GPs and nurses have access to the system on their computers.

Dr Tim Kenny said this ensured everyone was "singing from the same song sheet".

He said: "I am quite a passionate believer in giving people information about their condition.

I am quite a passionate believer in giving people information about their condition Dr Tim Kenny

"I used to collect leaflets and pamphlets to hand out, but then started to write my own, stored them on a computer ready to print out when needed."

Website

Now the information is online.

Dr Kenny said: "The website remains a free information resource that is popular with the public, but also well known, well used, and I think trusted, by health professionals who can be assured that the content is the same that is on their clinical system, and that it is regularly updated, revised, and amended where necessary.

"My wife and I know what is there, so sometimes we say to a patient 'here is some information, go away and look at it and then come back and we can discuss it.'

"About three or four weeks ago we had an email from a lady who said she had been diagnosed with a social phobia.

"She said reading about it on the web had been the first time she had been able to understand it.

"She was able to make huge strides forward."

Conditions

He said the topics were constantly updated.

Currently the top 10 website topics are: acid reflux, angina, asthma, back pain, chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, depression, ear infection, gallstones, gastroenteritis in children and glaucoma.

The information is comprehensive. For instance, asthma index provides information on how to use an inhaler, different treatments, a diagram of the lung showing an asthma attack, advice on reducing the chances of an attack, links to further advice, plus descriptions of how your GP can help.

It is difficult to remember everything discussed in a short consultation Dr Beverley Kenny

Beverley, who draws the diagrams, said the system was proving very successful in educating the public about their own health.

"Some conditions are complicated. I often print out a leaflet to give to a patient to go away and read, discuss with their families or close friends, and come back with any questions.

"This has been invaluable for conditions such as depression, anxiety and irritable bowel syndrome where people close to the patient need to share understanding and have a part to play in managing the effects of the illness.

"Treatment regimes can sometimes be involved, particularly for conditions like eczema or psoriasis. It is difficult to remember everything discussed in a short consultation."

Last month the website 'www.patient.co.uk', which offers more than 600 patient information leaflets (some of which are available in audio and online), 800 drug leaflets and; details of almost 2,000 patient support or self-help groups received two million hits.

Developing Patient Partnerships (DPP) Joint Chief Executive Pamela Hancock said they were very much in favour of giving the patient as much quality information as possible.

"DPP is a firm believer that quality health information, should be an integral part of people's NHS experience. Not only can it provide people with support in managing their health, but, in a climate of constant health service change it can help people know how to access and use health services effectively."