Project strengthening patient organisations in two parts: Reliability and quality of health information on websites of Flemish patient organisations and enhancing experiential expertise in patient organisations.

The quality and reliability of the information on websites of Flemish patient organisations is insufficiently clear. This does not mean that the information is wrong or dangerous in advance; it does mean that the nature of the information is difficult to evaluate. In this project, in collaboration with the member associations of the Flemish Patient Platform, criteria will be determined that will permit visitors of their websites to evaluate the quality and reliability of the information offered. The HON-code (Health on the Net code) or the Dutch ZegelGezond could serve as possible starting points. The different project phases are: (I) an introductory literature research; (II) listing and selecting criteria; (III) evaluating the health information on websites of Flemish patient organisations; (IV) developing a tool for patient organisations to evaluate their websites leading to obtaining a reliability seal or supporting organisations to attain an existing seal; (V) promoting and stimulating the adoption of the tool and supporting patient organisations. Increasing the individual and collective competencies of patient organisations in order to support their participants (even) better in the self-management of their problematic situation and the defence of their interests is the second part of the project. This encompasses a.o. elaborating and offering a range of possibilities to foster individual recovery and effective participation of the organisations in policy. In a first phase elements enhancing coping and fostering policy participation will be mapped. In a second phase an educational programme will be developed and implemented.

Keywords:Patient organisations, Coping, policy participation, Empowerment, Health information, Experiential expertise, Evaluation.

Disciplines:Applied sociology, Policy and administration, Social psychology, Social stratification, Social theory and sociological methods, Sociology of life course, family and health, Other sociology and anthropology