Ministerial Conference: Innovative approaches for chronic illnesses in public health and healthcare systems

Diana Gosálvez Prados — last modified 23/12/2010 14:23

The EU Member States are increasingly facing common challenges with the growing burden of chronic diseases in the European Union. Chronic diseases represent 86 % of mortality in the WHO European Region and have significant economic implications. Chronic diseases require “ongoing management over a period of years or decade and cover a wide range of health problems” (WHO, 2002).

Many of these diseases are preventable and are linked by common risk factors such as tobacco use, overweight and obesity, hypertension, alcohol abuse and sedentary lifestyle. They require coordinated care from a wide range of professionals within a system that promotes patient empowerment.

The Belgian Presidency of the European Union has decided to draw attention on this crucial issue by organizing a Ministerial Conference on October 20th 2010. Against a background of innovation and solidarity, this Ministerial Conference aims at bringing the Member States, patients and other relevant stakeholders together to discuss and share experiences and best practices in the field of chronic diseases. The perception of people living with chronic conditions by the society and by patients themselves will be a central theme of the conference.

In the area of prevention, the discussion will address innovative initiatives to improve healthy lifestyles, cost-effective strategies and their implementation, the importance of collaboration of relevant stakeholders to tackle common risk factors in chronic diseases. In the area of care, the discussion will include the following issues: the role of new technologies to prevent hospital re-admissions and to improve the chronic patient’s ability to live independently, the importance of integration of care and multidisciplinary cooperation to ensure optimal support for chronic patients, the importance of increased empowerment of patients and their role in care systems.

On the 19th of October, two pre-events on musculoskeletal diseases and chronic respiratory diseases will be organized in collaboration with the European League Against Rheumatism – EULAR respectively the European Respiratory Society – ERS. At both the conference and the pre-events, innovative, patient-oriented and collaborative initiatives in the area of prevention and care will be discussed.

Conclusions on chronic diseases will be presented to the EPSCO Council in December 2010.