SOMOS O GUIA GRUPO DE URTICÁRIA
GUIA is a non-profit social-educational association with the main purpose of improving the quality of life of patients of various types of urticaria by promoting broad understanding (scientific, ethic, and social) about the disease and by providing humanized support. This is the world’s first bilingual portal about urticaria.
It was conceived and developed by three dermatologist doctors deeply experienced with providing care to urticaria patients. They felt they should act as advocates of the cause. In 2017, Dr. Tatiana Cortez left GUIA as a personal decision to pursue new challenges. The current board of directors includes the other two founders, namely:
DIRETORIA:
Letícia Siqueira Sousa
Dermatologist and Chief Sciences and Information Officer
Patricia Karla de Souza
Dermatologist and Chief Executive Officer
HOW WAS IT DEVELOPED?
The idea about GUIA came from our experience with providing healthcare to patients at UNIFESP Dermatology Department’s Urticaria Outpatient Clinic.
We realized that urticaria patients suffered with the lack of information about the disease – or, many times, had to deal with erroneous information that further damaged their therapies and, consequently, their quality of life, which was already so impacted by the symptoms.
After a long time discussing about how we could guide and support those patients, we found that there was no safe source of correct information available. That was when GUIA was developed – as a result of our will to become an agent to urticaria patients’ transformation through information about the disease.
MISSION
To improve the quality of life of patients of the various types of urticaria through education about the disease and humanized support.
OBJECTIVES
Our objectives are focused to two core areas: INFORMATION AND SUPPORT, provided through this portal and social media to patients, family members, friends, and other interested parties.
Disclosing accurate scientific information about urticaria is the cornerstone of this association. Patients accurately informed about their disease are able to seek a better therapy for his/her case, disseminate information to the community where they live, and thus raise population’s awareness about the disease. The higher the level of awareness, the greater the access to diagnosis and treatment.
We believe that by giving an opportunity to learn about and reproduce shared experiences with other urticaria patients we can enable a transformation and a resulting improvement of the quality of life of individuals living with urticaria, not only in Brazil, but throughout the world.
PARTNERS
Special acknowledgements:
We acknowledge some special people who, in some way, first supported us on bringing GUIA to life:
* Maurício, Andrea, and Thais
* Flavia Regina de Souza Oliveira (Lawyer – Third Sector & Social Responsibility)
* Andrea Delcorso (Translator – Medical Area)
Our families
* The first contributors – the urticaria patients – who kindly submitted their photos and testimonials
