Interim feedback from the School of Population, Community and Behavioural Sciences at Liverpool University has reported a very positive response from patients who have been using mihealth at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle.  Below are extracts from interviews with patients who have used mihealth during the course of their treatment and care.

A best friend to go to

"I think that it is good to have something that is there, that you can treat as an extra friend . . . almost like a best friend that you can go to that’s quite intimate and discrete and that is a source of information and just for you."

It was empowering

"Well it was empowering because 2 days before I saw him [consultant] I rang the nurses and I gave her 2 pages of questions that had come up in the course of me reading things, of finding things, what if this? Does this apply to me and what happens if ..?"

Accessible & very good

"it’ is easily accessible and the content is very good."

Questions I hadn't thought of

"There were questions on it that I hadn’t thought of asking ... there were more things in than I would have thought to have asked. I actually would have said I learned something."

Information when  I need it

"You don’t really want to be ringing them [nurses] all the time. You know they are busy when you ring, they will always ring you back. They are very nice but sometimes you just think ‘I just need to know now’."

Finding the answer to a problem

"No-one could tell me what could cause it so I found it useful to go onto mihealth and to find out about Lymphoedema and I found that much better than, well your GP probably couldn’t tell you that."

Local information very useful

"I think the information about the actual hospital, that was more interesting to me. What was I going to go through? Information about the RVI, who was I going to come across?"

Help in getting on with life

"Yes it [misupport network] was useful. Because, you know, you sort of think, ‘Oh God. Will I manage to get any insurance?."

micontacts very useful

"And also then there’s the consultants. It [micontacts] just sort of reminds you what their names are. Because you get in a bit of a panic, you know thinking, ‘Oh dear, who did I see?’ You can actually see it written down.

Emotional support

"Yes, yes, I’ve been on it a few times now. Generally in times when I am feeling a bit low I tend to go on and I look to see if I can find out anything."

Comprehensive and readable information

"Yes, you go into it and have a read and if its too high brow you don’t bother but most of it has been absolutely fine. I’ve got a lot of information from it."

Making medical terminology simple

"It did help, especially the glossary section, which I thought was very good, because there’s a lull with all the terminology that’s used. You seem to just know and go, ‘Oh, OK I know what that means there but forget what it is the next day."