PatientsLikeMe Encourages Sharing of Health Data for Good with 2nd Annual “24 Days of Giving”
The Gift of Health Data Can Help Others, and Advance Research CAMBRIDGE, MASS., December 1, 2015—On this #GivingTuesday, PatientsLikeMe is once again celebrating “the new tradition of generosity” by encouraging people to donate something unusual but vital: their health data. Starting today and continuing for #24DaysofGiving, PatientsLikeMe is asking anyone who is living with a chronic condition to donate their health data after donating to their favorite non-profit. PatientsLikeMe is a patient network that aggregates the health data members share so that others can see what’s working for patients like them, and what’s not. Health data includes information about a disease or condition—how people live with it, what their doctors are doing to treat it, and what it’s like to navigate their health journey. PatientsLikeMe also analyzes the donated data to spot trends in specific diseases and works with partners to incorporate patient-reported evidence in their research. Partners can then create new products and services that are more in tune with what patients experience and need. Michael Evers, Executive Vice President of PatientsLikeMe’s Consumer and Technology Group, said that members donated a record amount of health data last year, the first time the campaign was introduced. “Tens of thousands of …