Network Director European Health Futures Forum Strategies for broad implementation of effective self-care (The PROSTEP project) Dr David Somekh Network Director European Health Futures Forum Member of PROSTEP project steering committee

PROSTEP (Promoting Self-management for chronic diseases in Europe) is the third of a series of inter-linked tenders on empowerment and self- management carried out for DG SANTE (previously SANCO) by a Consortium of mainly academic organisations and European Health NGOs between 2014 and 2017.

The three pillars of patient empowerment: Health Literacy EMpowering PAtients in Their Health management in Europe The three pillars of patient empowerment: Health Literacy Joint Decision-making Self-management

2. Guidelines for Communication tools PiSCE (Pilot project on the promotion of Self-Care systems in the European union) Outputs: 1. Guidelines for promotion of Self Care (using 5 common conditions as examples) 2. Guidelines for Communication tools 3. Six policy recommendations (covering implementation, education and both new technologies and improving health literacy)

Main outputs required of PROSTEP: Analysis of systematic reviews on self-care to ` examine effectiveness Linked cost-benefit analysis Using these outputs as a basis, to select specific chronic diseases for further scrutiny Create platform of Experts to undertake tasks: deliverables Propose scenarios for EU collaboration on SC Guidelines on promotion of SC for policymakers Catalogue of barriers to promotion of Self-Care Identify innovative approaches to Self-Care Communication tools to improve prevention and disease management

KEY TAKE-HOME MESSAGES: the need for more effective and better funded health education the lack of an agreed strategic approach to improving overall health literacy including better digital literacy the huge potential value of eHealth tools and the need to tackle the implementation problems they bring with them david.somekh@ehff.eu