New Zealand Rehabilitation Association, Inc.

DIPEx is a fascinating charity organisation that has been set up for the sole purpose of gathering and disseminating information about personal experiences of illness and disability. On the website you can read stories or watch videos where people provide personal accounts of acquiring, living with, and surviving health problems. The website is organised by health categories and can be searched for keywords of interest.

This is a website that allows free access to all users. It has been designed with the needs and educational interests of both health professionals and members of the general public in mind. While the organisation is UK-based (and therefore some of the information may not be totally relevant to the NZ context) many kiwi patients and their families may find this a useful adjunct to information ordinarily available through normal channels in the health sector.

One of the impressive aspects of this website is that the data generated is derived from a solid foundation of empirical methodology. The website contains information about the methods used to collect and analyse the interview data and the steering committee for DIPEx includes academics, researchers and clinicians from Oxford University and further a field. The scientific robustness of the information presented by DIPEx is one further reason why this website should be promoted.