'On the Road Again' Events Planned in Ten Major Cities
PHILADELPHIA, March 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Shire Pharmaceuticals launched "On the Road Again," an informative patient education program for people with ulcerative colitis (UC), a disease that affects nearly 700,000 individuals in the United States. The interactive events will feature four expert presenters and will provide an opportunity for people with UC to ask questions and network with others who have UC.
Experts at each event will include a dietician, a leading gastroenterologist, a social worker or health psychologist, and an online health information professional. Topics will include the role of diet in UC, treatment options for UC, lessening the emotional burden of UC, researching UC on the Internet and building an online UC community.
Shire developed the program, scheduled to travel to 10 major cities across the country, in response to the results of a series of Shire-sponsored surveys completed in 2007 titled "UC: NORMAL (New Observations on Remission Management and Lifestyle)." The objectives of the surveys were to understand how UC affects patients' lives as well as the differences in physicians' and patients' perceptions of UC. Results revealed a number of challenges, including communication gaps between patients and physicians, compliance challenges with medications, and a high level of life disruption on the lives of people with UC. Additional details and results of the survey can be found at http://www.ucnormal.com.
"For people with UC, education is very important because this is a
disease that can be significantly impacted by actions a person does or
doesn't take," said Ian McGowan, MD PhD, professor of medicine at the
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "This program is also exciting
because it will address the psychological and emotional challenges faced by
those who suffer from UC and give
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