The Mighty is a blog site that allows users to share their experiences with chronic illness through blog posts. It was found by searching "chronic illness blogs" on Google.

I think that the target audience would be those looking for shared experiences with their chronic illnesses, as well as those looking to get a better understanding of those who suffer.

Because the information contained within the website is subjective and based on personal experiences, I wouldn't say that it is evidence-based. Not everyone (including myself) experiences chronic illness the same or shares textbook symptoms. One scholarly resource people can use to read about chronic illnesses is from the CDC. (https://www.cdc.gov/chronic-disease/about/index.html)

The blog contents within The Mighty provide viewers/readers with an intimate experience of people's lived perceptions and experiences of chronic illness, allowing them to gain deeper insight of what chronic illness sufferers go through.

Many DEI considerations can be attributed to the blog posts chronic illness sufferers post, such as disability awareness (even if they don't look sick), intersectionality of chronic illness, and providing a safe space of community support.

This chronic illness meme was found on Google looking up "chronic illness memes."

The target audience of this meme is for those suffering from chronic illness and who relate to the meme.

Although the meme aims to be humorous and relatable to individuals with chronic illnesses, it also contains some truth. The following link is a journal article by Karen Hacker, a physician who writes on the burden of chronic diseases and provides further insight on the issue. ( https://www.mcpiqojournal.org/article/S2542-4548(23)00057-7/fulltext)

I think that the wording in the meme allows chronic illness sufferers to relate in their plight of health issues and that humor can help them get through their shared experiences of illness and pain.

A DEI consideration of this meme could be inclusion. While chronic illness takes many shapes and forms, many can relate to this meme by feeling betrayed by their body.

This is the link for "chronic illness" tag on Instagram.

The target audience for this hashtag is those who obviously identify with chronic illnesses and for those curious about chronic illness.

This is another subjective source of information regarding chronic illnesses, as users share their intimate perspectives regarding chronic illness. The following link provides a journal article regarding concept analysis of the chronic illness experience. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17482631.2024.2378912)

I think that the content under this hashtag on Instagram provides an eye-opening experience of the duality of chronic illness. It showcases personal experiences, individuals who appear visibly ill, and those who are unwell but do not exhibit obvious symptoms, along with relatable memes and photos.

The obvious DEI consideration under this artifact but be that of diversity. As I said in the above point, there is so much diversity in chronic illness. Exploring the chronic illness hashtag on Instagram helps highlight that.

This is a pain management expert blog on WebMD found while searching "chronic illness blogs" on Google.

The target audience for this blog would be those who suffer from chronic pain/illnesses and are looking for ways to manage their pain.

The nice thing about this blog is that the posts are written by three board-certified physicians who are experts in pain management and medicine.

The information provided by these experts within the blog is useful for both the general population and for clinical decision-making. While providing information on chronic conditions and medication safety for patients, it also analyzes popular pain treatments and information for other health care providers.

A DEI consideration for this artifact would be that the expert contributors are diverse. They have varying ethnicities and medical backgrounds, and two of the physicians are female and the other is male.

PatientSpot is a free app for chronic disease patients to log their symptoms and health data, as well as log treatments. It was found on the CreakyJoints website.

The target audience for this app is those who are suffering from chronic illnesses and wish to log their symptoms, as well as healthcare providers who want to keep up-to-date with their patients' health data.

While the data in this artifact will be inputted by patients, there is evidence that digital technologies help chronic illness sufferers. The following link is a journal article that supports the notion that digital interventions such as symptom trackers can improve patient adherence to self-care behaviors (https://www.nature.com/articles/s44401-025-00017-4).

The content that patients put in this app will help them keep track of symptoms, manage medications, and reach out to their providers. Patients are also able to participate in research studies and access educational resources on their condition.

A DEI consideration for this application is that it is inclusive and non-discriminatory since the patient inputs all the data themselves. They are able to fully document their chronic illness experience the way that they live it.

This chronic illness meme about taking prednisone was found on Google searching "chronic illness memes."

The target audience for this meme is for those dealing with chronic illness and who are also taking prednisone to combat a flare-up of symptoms.

The information suggested in this meme is that while prednisone may make a person feel better symptom-wise, it can make you gain weight. This holds some truth (from personal experience). In the following link, the Mayo Clinic explains how steroid use is effective in treating inflammatory symptoms of chronic diseases, but can also lead to increased appetite and weight gain (https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cortisone-shots/in-depth/steroids/art-20045692).

I believe that this meme could cause a chronic illness sufferer to reconsider using prednisone for managing their condition or treating a flare-up. While the meme is in good jest, one must consider the pros and cons of taking such medications and do what is best for them and their condition.

A DEI consideration of this meme is that prednisone is a widely prescribed medication to manage chronic illness flares, and its side effects do not discriminate.

CreakyJoints is a website that provides evidence-based education on chronic diseases and provides patients with an online community who seek support and services related to their conditions. Since my diagnosis with psoriatic arthritis about a decade ago, I have been an avid user of this website.

The target audience of this website is those who suffer from chronic inflammatory diseases and others (such as caregivers or friends) who wish to gain more insight on these conditions.

Many nonprofit organizations and research/academic organizations sponsor this website, ensuring its information is evidence-based. One of their academic partners includes Johns Hopkins Medicine, and the following link is to the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center, where they conduct medical research and provide information on arthritic and inflammatory conditions (https://www.hopkinsarthritis.org/arthritis-research/).

The information on CreakyJoints can improve public health regarding chronic inflammatory illnesses and provide a safe space to connect with others who are suffering similar conditions, as well as a source of evidence-based information.

A DEI consideration for this website is that it is all-inclusive and does not only pertain to certain groups. It provides evidence-based information on chronic conditions that affect people of all walks of life.

On the subreddit thread "illness fakers", people discuss toxic chronic illness influencers and potential fakers of chronic illness. I had no idea this was even a thing until I was on YouTube looking at videos on chronic illness misconceptions, and this thread was mentioned.

I think the target audience of this subreddit is those who speculate chronic illness fakers, or people like me who are curious of what others are saying regarding the topic.

The information on this subreddit is not at all evidence-based and is solely speculation based on what chronic illness influencers post and their inconsistencies with their symptoms (among other things). The American Psychological Association explains that factitious disorder, or Munchausen by internet disorder, is a growing online phenomenon where internet influencers fake illness to gain attention and support from strangers (https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/munchausen-syndrome).

I doubt that the information within this subreddit is positively influential for improving public health at all and is actually inflammatory and toxic in nature. While it did bring the issue of Munchausen by internet to light, not all who document their chronic illnesses are guilty of faking it.

This artifact is not DEI friendly and actually perpetuates the issue of inclusion and diversity among chronic illness sufferers. No one experiences chronic illness the same, and I would honestly be mortified if someone thought I was faking being chronically ill, which is why I don't speak of it much (if at all). There are actually many instances of discrimination and stigma within healthcare towards those who have chronic illnesses. The following link is from UC Berkeley Research, which is a study that found 1 in 5 chronic illness patients experienced healthcare discrimination (https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/news/study-one-five-chronic-disease-patients-report-discrimination-health-care).