People... Not Patients was produced by a consortium of lay and professional leaders to "give people with IBD [inflammatory bowel disease] the tools to become advocates in their own behalf [and] to help them understand the diseases, learn about their legal rights, and begin to fight back." The book accomplishes these worthwhile goals by briefly reviewing what we currently understand about inflammatory bowel disease and how it is diagnosed and by providing a primer on medications and side effects, skin care, and adjusting to an ostomy.
The introductory chapters are succinct, practically pertinent to everyday life for patients, and written in easily understood terms. The most emotionally provocative concepts (eg, adjusting to an ostomy, total parenteral nutrition, dealing with friends) often are accompanied by personal comments from patients who offer guidelines that helped them to adapt to life and to turn adversity into opportunity.
This optimistic attitude and approach is