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Since 2002, Dr. Lisa Sanders, who is an associate professor at the Yale School of Medicine, has been writing “Diagnosis,” a column in the New York Times. Dr. Sanders writes about people who have as-yet-undiagnosed medical aliments and are searching for answers. Working with these individuals, she shares in her columns information about their conditions in the hopes that her readers might be able to offer suggestions that could help them and their doctors figure out what the right diagnoses are. Her column is now a series on Netflix. `
Another series that similarly aims to help people who are searching for answers about their undiagnosed medical conditions is Ann Curry’s Chasing the Cure:
Ann Curry‘s new series Chasing the Cure isn’t your average medical mystery TV show.
Each week, the live television broadcast and 24/7 digital platform connects doctors and medical professionals from around the world with people suffering from undiagnosed medical mysteries.
Curry, 62, says the idea for the unique show came after her colleague Jennifer O’Connell saw that her son’s teacher has posted an appeal on Facebook about her husband being sick.
“The couple couldn’t afford care and they couldn’t figure what was wrong with him,” the former Today co-host tells PEOPLE. “I think we’ve all seen those kinds of postings.”
An opportunity arose: What if they could use social media together with live television for good? The idea then started to “snowball,” Curry says.
From the start, Curry says her role — in addition to hosting and executive producing the series — has been patient advocate.
“My first response was, ‘How do I protect the patient?'” she explains. “I feel that that’s my job on the broadcast, on the air and I think that’s my job behind the scenes as a hands-on executive producer — it’s my job all throughout it trying to protect the patient.”
Right away, people flocked to the digital platform looking for help. “Our website crashed the first night that we were live on air because there were so many people checking it,” she says. “The upload in terms of the number of cases has been dramatic.”
I think using crowdsourcing for good is a great idea, and I’m sure that most of us have seen a post from a friend asking for help identifying a possible medical condition/cause for an ache or a pain. And, it made sense that at some point, someone would turn this into a TV show (or two) that has the potential to help not just people who appear on the show, but countless people watching. I appreciate what Ann says about wanting to “protect the patient.”
That said, I saw part of an episode of this show, and the staged drama made me uncomfortable and annoyed. Everyone knows what they are signing up for when they agree to be on it, but it seemed like the show (unnecessarily) tried to manufacture drama. There was a tone of heightened suspense: “What might this collection of symptoms mean?” (DUN DUN) “What suggestions are coming into the call center staffed by eager volunteers?” (Obviously, these suggestions are collected and before the show airs so that they can be commented on.) “What diagnosis are the doctors finally going to go with?” (DUN DUN) I wonder whether anyone whose symptoms aren’t eventually definitively connected to a particular illness/condition has been//will be on the show.
I once had to visit several doctors over many long, frustrating months before meeting one who could finally help me when I was ill, and I was indescribably grateful to finally have answers and a way forward. I’m so thrilled for these people who are getting the diagnoses that they need so that they can focus on effective treatment. However, there is inherently a large amount of tension in not knowing what condition(s) you’re living with. The manufactured drama (that is to keep the viewers interested) bothered me because it seemed exploitative and unnecessary from a patient’s perspective. But, if the show helps people, that’s a great outcome.
What do people think about this, does it undercut the role of training and expertise or does it highlight gaps in the diagnostic capabilities in today’s health care? Isn’t AI being touted as a way to hone diagnostic success especially for more rare conditions? And isn’t lack of insurance and access still the larger issue? I have more questions than answers….
Yikes
She looks great and happy.
The review of this show is spot on. I love that they are doing something like this and I think it has the potential to help many, many people. However, the manufactured drama is really not necessary. It’s just silly.
I do love Ann Curry though and always have and I love that she’s currently working in TV and Lauer is not. Karma.
That’s where I am at. I was outraged at how Laurer and the network treated her.
I just finished watching the aforementioned “diagnosis” (which wasn’t that great, but.. whatever) and I think that shows like these serve a real purpose, and I’m looking forward to watching more of those.
I have a disease that none of the ~20 doctors I’ve seen ever heard about. There are books about it, blood tests and urin tests. I have it, according to all tests, and so does my mother, and the (self-prescribed) treatment works wonders for me. If I had to rely on traditional medicine, I would be out of my job, broke and on anti-depressants by now. How did I find this cure? Freaking self helf groups on Facebook, of all places. So yeah, crowd sourcing works even in medicine (to a degree)
I love medicin very much, but doctors are only human and simply cannot know everything, and often their ego stands in the way of the patient getting better. I have had doctors not believing me that a lab value exists until I forced them to look it up. I have had doctors insisting on the wrong thyroid hormones, until I made them look it up. I have personally been subject to so many misdiagnoses and mistreatments, I am not buying the image of gods in white anymore.
I really enjoyed Diagnosis! albeit i’ve never had to deal with a rare or hard to diagnose illness. Can I ask why you didn’t like it?
I have watched three episodes and not sure I will watch more. ****SPOILER ****The second and third episodes didn’t really resolve a diagnosis, and the staged family drama made me really uncomfortable, especially the family where the dad got angry that he might never have grandchildren, and was yelling at his wife that if this was a genetic disease, it was her fault.
I’ve got a bonkers thyroid condition, which never resolves. Do you mind if I ask what diagnosis you found?
As someone with a rare medical illness, which is frequently diagnosed late in life, after what amounts to gaslighting and medical abuse for decades, I see the absolute need for SOMETHING to fill this role. But a TV show, probably not it?
“Curry, 62, says the idea for the unique show came after her colleague Jennifer O’Connell saw that her son’s teacher has posted an appeal on Facebook about her husband being sick…”
Unique? I don’t think so.
I like Ann Curry, and think she got one hell of a raw deal at NBC thanks to Dirtbag Lauer, but this should not be branded as unique. I binge watched Sanders’ program, and I’ll give this a shot, but the “unique” moniker makes me bristle.
I hate manufactured drama, but tons of people love it. They must do it for the ratings. It’s sad that people need that fake heightened suspense to keep watching, but they do.
Because I have disabilities, and receive SSDI (not enough to even put a roof over my head or supply my most basic needs), I am compelled to have access to only the worst doctors/medical professionals.
I have been trying to simply be screened for Ehlers-Danlos syndrome for over two years. I have almost every symptom, as does my mother, and the screening (at least for a couple of the subtypes) is literally a simple checklist of symptoms any medical provider can go over with their patient.
I chose my most recent GP because she has a specialty in Rheumatology. She refused to screen me despite noting my hyperextension. She also refused to write me a prescription for diabetic test strips despite my having type II diabetes for over 8 years, but she did write me a prescription for my diabetes medication.
Sometimes it isn’t even that an illness is so mysterious. It’s willful poor care to poor people and people with disabilities.
Malachite – you have my empathy. I have two friends with EDS and the abuse they have been subjected to is horrifying.
I also follow Jen Brea on Twitter because she tweets about EDS overlap with her symptoms and illness.
Thank you APALAPA, LUCY2 and FRAGGEDEARS. Your empathy to me means more than you know right now! I get a lot of info from the Ehlers-Danlos Society, but I haven’t used their helpline, so thank you!
I’m sorry you’re going through that. I hope your GP gets better about the testing and prescriptions.
I like Ann Curry, and am glad she’s still working, but I don’t know about this show. But if it helps some people, great.
MALACHITE- have you reached out to the EDS Society helpline and support group to get ideas? https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/eds-helpline/ (apologies if links aren’t allowed cb)
Have you guys heard the Replay All podcast that includes CrowdMed? “It’s a website for patients who feel as if whatever they have hasn’t been diagnosed, or has been diagnosed incorrectly. And they feel as if their doctors aren’t actually listening to them.” Here’s the link. It’s fascinating: https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/awhmzx/42-blind-spot
and Ann Curry’s hair looks amazing this short.