EU-WISE is an integrated project under the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission designed to focus on understanding the contribution of policy, personal and community capabilities and resources to potential changes in health related practices in community and cultural context across Europe. It brought together 7 European countries and 8 organisations that to collaborate on the project: subtitle -Self-care Support for People with Long Term Conditions, Diabetes and Heart Disease: A Whole System Approach.
The research aimed to understand the role and influences of resources external to health services which have an impact on peoples’ capacities to manage a long term condition. It focused on the need to explore resources and relationships within peoples’ personal communities as a means of better understanding and helping to develop interventions that are fit for purpose for engaging with people who live in deprived circumstances.
The closing conference was introduced by Professor Anne Rogers, faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Southampton, which acted as the co-ordinating organization for the project. Her presentation here. There were a rich variety of reports, for example one on self-management support for diabetes patients across six European countries click this, one on understanding how social networks can engage support and resources for long term condition management click this and finally a presentation on the EU-GENIE intervention, a product which measures social network support which has been piloted in several sites click this.
This work is of especial interest to EHFF and our EMPATHiE colleagues given our ongoing interest in management of long-term conditions and we hope to collaborate with Prof Rogers and her team, including their European partners in the foreseeable future.