Polibienestar launches NAT:PD, the tool for chronnically ill patients in Europe

• The Polibienestar Research Institute has presented the results of its InAdvance project, which improves the quality of life of patients with chronic diseases.
• EU funding is crucial for the advancement of health and social research projects such as InAdvance.
• The project has developed NAT: PD, a new tool that assesses the needs of patients and carers.

With only one week to go before the European elections, the management of funding and implementation for European research projects depends on the policies that will be implemented in the coming years. The Institute for Research in Social Welfare Policies, Polibienestar, of the University of Valencia, has led the INADVANCE macro-project, funded with more than 4 million euros and focused on research into palliative care for patients with complex chronic non-oncological diseases. Polibienestar has studied the importance of early personalised assessment of the needs of patients with multimorbidity and COPD, among other chronic diseases, using the NAT: PD tool. This resource has been developed in the framework of this project, and is used to effectively assess and manage the needs of patients and their carers.

InAdvance has demonstrated significant improvements in chronically ill patients.

The project has revealed very significant advances in the assessment of patients, essentially in areas such as activities of daily living and physical and psychological symptoms. Similar concerns have also been expressed by caregivers, highlighting the importance of providing adequate health and social care. The results of the project have shown statistically significant improvements in palliative care symptoms and in the reduction of caregivers’ emotional distress.

Political and social recommendations of the project

The InAdvance policy recommendations will provide European policy makers with specific tools and measures to improve the early detection of palliative care in older people. These recommendations are based on activities and consultations with patients and carers, which have been tested during the project.

A key aspect has been to ensure the accessibility of palliative care services for all people, especially for chronically ill older people and patients, through earlier and more appropriate assessment of their needs. Person-centred care is another crucial aspect.  As the project’s principal investigator, Prof Dr Jorge Garcés-Ferrer, comments, “it is essential to integrate palliative care into standard care pathways for older people in various settings, such as hospitals, long-term care facilities and community-based care, emphasising the need for a continuous and holistic approach to palliative care delivery, and ensuring continuity between different settings and adequate health and social care coordination.

The project results also highlight the importance of developing policies to improve the education and training of health and social professionals, as well as informal caregivers. In addition, campaigns to raise awareness of the benefits of early palliative care, addressing misconceptions and promoting discussions on advance care planning and the importance of quality of life until the end of life are recommended.

In addition, policies to ensure adequate funding and reimbursement mechanisms for palliative care services for older people are advocated. The Council of Europe recommendations and the European care strategy provide a framework for member states to develop action plans in the coming years, serving as tools to implement best practice at national level and to be included in national action plans.

Scope of InAdvance

The InAdvance project included 370 patients from the four countries mentioned above: Spain, Greece, Portugal and Scotland. Analyses showed significant differences between men and women, concluding that women reported lower well-being at the start of the study, although they managed to improve their quality of life scores over time.

About Polibienestar, of the University of Valencia

The Institute for Research in Social Welfare Policies, Polibienestar, is a public research institute belonging to the University of Valencia of international reference, specialising in research, innovation and social technology, technical advice and training in the field of social policies. For the last 20 years it has been led by Prof. Jorge Garcés-Ferrer, developing applied interdisciplinary research on economic, social, political and technical sustainability of welfare systems, advising public administrations and companies in the design, planning and implementation of resources and policies for social welfare and sustainability. Its main lines of research and transfer are: health, sustainability and governance and innovation and inclusive education. In the last 10 years, this public research institute has participated in more than 100 European projects.

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