My Pleural Effusion Journey
A new website, launched as part of the My Pleural Effusion Journey project, provides information for patients, carers and clinicians on malignant pleural effusions. My Pleural Effusion Journey was funded by the North West Lung Centre Charity, based at Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.
Malignant pleural effusions (MPEs) can be difficult concept to understand & can be a huge burden to patients. There are numerous different ways to manage MPEs with not one being shown to be vastly superior to another. Therefore, individual circumstances and preferences are a critical factor in decision making for patients and carers with MPE.
The research team set out to create a web-based patient information and decision aid tool to help explain this condition, how it can be managed and what priorities & preferences patients and carers may wish to think about when making treatment decisions. The content has been co-produced from the outset by patients, carers and clinicians through dedicated focus groups. It is hoped that the information is presented in an understandable way using short animations to explain different aspects of this condition. The team would like to continue the co-development of this project and use the feedback and experiences of patients, carers and clinicians to develop this platform further in the future.