PRO-STEP Final Conference: Sharing Results on Self-Management in Patients with Chronic Conditions
©EPF
The PRO-STEP Final Conference took place on 23-24 October in Brussels and gathered almost 100 participants. It was the opportunity for partners to present the main outcomes of the project and to discuss further collaborations on self-management for patients with chronic conditions in the EU.
The main objectives of the PRO-STEP Final Conference were: (a) to bring together relevant stakeholders to raise awareness of the PRO-STEP project, its outputs and results; (b) to explore specific issues, such as barriers, opportunities and needs of different stakeholders and lastly (c) to collectively reflect on follow-up actions needed to promote self-management in Europe.
The key message arising from the event was that the huge challenges faced by Europe’s healthcare systems need investment both at national and EU level. In addition, it was highlighted that evidence supports effectiveness of self-management on better health outcomes and fewer costs, but translating this into concrete policy and actions takes time.
During the conference, self-management in chronic conditions was also discussed, as well as the impact of low self-management on vulnerable groups (e.g. old/young patients, socially excluded or marginalised persons, those with low health literacy) and from a gender perspective.
The conference was attended by a wide spectrum of stakeholders in the healthcare sector coming from 20 European countries, including patient representatives, healthcare professionals, Member States’ policy-makers, academics, and industry representatives.
About the project
The PRO-STEP project - Pilot project on Promoting Self-management for Chronic Diseases in the EU- is a pilot project financed by the European Union that focuses on self-management in chronic conditions, its impact and added-value for the sustainability of healthcare systems including cost-benefits analysis, as well as enablers and barriers.
More information can be found here: http://www.eu-patient.eu/whatwedo/Projects/prostep/
See also the PRO-STEP Fact Sheet which was presented at the Conference here:
http://www.eu-patient.eu/globalassets/library/factsheets/pro-step_final.pdf
Contact person: Lyudmil Ninov, Project Officer: lyudmil.ninov@eu-patient.eu