The expert patient. Pt. 2.

The second in a two-part series about living with a chronic medical condition. In the UK nearly a third of the population has a chronic medical condition for which, up until now, the NHS has assumed responsibility for care. Now a new concept is being launched by the government, called the Expert Patient Initiative. The second part of this series looks at how practical the expert patient scheme is, with particular focus on the doctor / patient relationship. GPs are worried that it will create more work for them rather than less, but results of the pilot studies so far show that the expert patients visit the GP less frequently than before.