SameCondition: Creating connections for better health

Chicago, August 08, 2017:

SameCondition ( https://www.samecondition.com/) is a global health initiative with the motto of Collective Good: Collective Healing. It is an online platform for health networking i.e. creating connections for better health. It can be of immense value to people who are suffering from a particular disease and wish to share their disease experiences and knowledge, want to explore treatment options, exchange practical knowledge, and give support to other people suffering from similar health issues.

Newsgram's Naina Mishra spoke to Dr. Bharti Raizada, CEO of SameCondition. Dr. Raizada is a Chicago-based Anesthesiologist and Pain Management physician.

Naina Mishra: What precisely is SameCondition (#SameCondition) all about?

Dr. Bharti Raizada: SameCondition is an online platform to create connections for better health. It is for people who have one or more medical condition. Our belief is that only people suffering from a medical condition know the real challenges and also know what treatment works in their favor, hence by sharing their experiences they can bring a change in others lives as well. This will help people get a better insight and perspective of their medical condition.

NM: What impelled you to start with the social health network?

BR: In developed countries, it usually takes time and costs money to get electronic health records transferred, whereas in developing countries electronic health records are not prevalent. It is difficult for the patients to track their disease and maintain a record of their lab results, imaging studies, and treatments. We thought to build a platform where patients have access to their medical data all the time. On this site, a member can discuss the effectiveness or side effects of any treatment and exchange knowledge about a medical condition. Another point behind introducing SameCondition is that there is no central agency which collects data on a large scale, but with this portal, researchers can make use of globally collected data. Our aim is to build a strong patient-to-patient network on a global level.

NM: Is the communication at Same Condition supervised by doctors? What if someone falls for wrong advice?

BR: SameCondition website does not provide any medical advice. On this platform, patients are sharing their medical data. In no way can it supplant medical consultation or give emergency advice or treatment. In other words, Same Condition is a Health social networking site (HSNS), a virtual community.

NM: There are certain problems that people fear talking about. Will there be any measures on protecting the identity of members?

BR: As per the US standards, our site will be Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant. HIPAA watches on safeguarding the patient's information. We are building our site with many security safeguards. We will do our best to ensure that the patient's information is not leaked, however, we do not guarantee 100% protection against leaking or hacking of information. The users can choose to use a profile name that is not his/her real name.

NM: How can Same Condition help people overcome their ailments?

BR: Well, first of all, people will get an understanding of their disease. Secondly, they will be able to keep a record of tests done, treatments taken, dosage of medicines, their height, weight, pain levels, quality of life etc. They can discuss their challenges of everyday life, and coping mechanisms with other members. Members can follow others with the same condition. Members can give moral support to each other. Results of the research conducted on the data uploaded on the website will be provided to the patients as well.

NM: What is the timeline for your project?

• BR: At this point, the landing page of our website, Same Condition, has just been launched. The website is being developed. We hope to roll out an initial version in the beginning of 2018.

Following video explains concept of SameCondition