Patient entrepreneur, Jen Rose, has created the IBD & Me journal, an engaging, child-friendly resource supporting children and young people with inflammatory bowel disease.
The journal was inspired by Jen’s own lived experience of ulcerative colitis and being a parent of a child with Crohns.
Patients and their families often face challenges in accessing clear, consistent and reliable educational resources when they receive an IBD diagnosis.
Designed for children aged 6 to 13, the IBD & Me journal helps young patients and their families with:
- Better understanding of the condition
- Building their confidence
- Supporting their emotional wellbeing
Patient feedback shows it’s already making a difference, helping children at Newcastle Hospitals, with those who have received the journal feeling more informed, less anxious, and more able to talk about their condition.
One patient said:
I think it’s a great additional resource because it tells you everything you need. I feel more confident about knowing all the different factors.
The journal provided a lot of information and answers, and it is easy for children to understand.
Jen is part of the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme and the project has had specialised support from our innovation projects manager Michelle Waugh who has helped us to:
- Embed the journal with some clinics at Newcastle Hospitals, sharing it with clinical teams to introduce with their patients
- Negotiate costs and secure funding through Newcastle Hospitals Charity
- Created pre and post journal surveys to evaluate the impact, made accessible via QR codes
Michelle said:
Innovation belongs to everyone and we are so glad that Jen used her insight as a patient to create something novel and helpful to support others with an ongoing challenge.
If you have a solution to challenge, we’d love to hear from you.
Find out more about our work Innovation – Commercial Services at Newcastle Hospitals