The expert patient. Pt. 1.

The first 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 first part of this series looks at how the British government intends to create a breed of expert patients suffering from diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, Parkinson's and Multiple Sclerosis. Pilot schemes for six-week expert patient courses were introduced by 100 primary care services in 2001. Trisha MacNair asks how successful the programmes have been.