There is a gap between what is developed in medical science and what people experience on a daily basis. Medicine and medical care can make a person with a (chronic) disorder feel better, but it has its limits. In daily life symptoms like extreme fatigue, depressed feelings and pain often still remain.
People that try changing certain lifestyle aspects in order to feel better, can find new ways to improve their own quality of life. However, if a person tells a medical specialist or scientist about what made him or her feel better, this is often received as ‘only one story’. Medical scientists need more similar stories before they feel compelled to start new research.
That is why Hidden Health Solutions applies the method of collecting a lot of patient experience stories and study them in a structured way. Because then we have not only one, but many stories. In those stories we can discover patterns or trends in what a major part of the people mention in their stories. This can either immediately help fellow patients, or it can lead to new research and help medical specialists advice their patients better.
References:
RIVM, 2016
Samenwerkende Gezondheidsfondsen SGF, 2017