It is widely recognized that self-management of chronic diseases is key to ensure improved quality of life for the patients. However, it is still difficult to picture integrated approaches that put patients at the centre of the system. The PRO-STEP project (funded by the European Union and coordinated by the European Patients’ Forum) had the ambition to tackle these challenges and identify, validate, exchange and promote good practices on self-management of chronic diseases across Europe to cascade them and transfer them across local, regional and national borders. The project focused in particular on asthma and COPD, heart failure, diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease and obesity.
The project recommendations include health literacy and patient empowerment, improved skills and knowledge of healthcare professionals in order to better deal with patients, and adequate funding for the reorganisation of health systems.
The project also points out the need for technological innovation and policy action to facilitate the entire process and to guarantee patient-centeredness.
All the outcomes of the project were presented in a final conference held in Brussels on October 23rd and 24th, where all participants had also the chance to discuss and identify political actions, solutions to overcome barriers and communication tools that could support the uptake of self-management programmes in Europe