Disease Awareness
Longevity, Healthcare and Adherence to Therapy - towards a new European strategy on ageing
Servier sponsored a press conference organized by Senior International Health Association, in collaboration with the European Society of Hypertension and in close cooperation with the Vice President of the European Parliament Fabio Massimo Castaldo, which took place in the context of the International Day of Older Persons (1st October).
The Press Conference brought a message by the leaders of the European Institutions about demographic change and ageing. It brought together key institutional and healthcare stakeholders involved in promoting healthy ageing, with the specific aim of discussing the need to put health at the centre of the political agenda through the implementation of targeted longevity strategies such as adherence to therapy.
Almost 50% of patients in Europe do not follow their GP’s instructions. Poor adherence, in addition to the negative impact on patients’ quality of life through increased risk of adverse events and hospitalisation, results in increased costs for healthcare services. In fact, today it is one of the main causes of inappropriate healthcare expenditure.
Professor Burnier presented a new project launched by ESH and Servier, in collaboration with SIHA, to promote adherence to therapy in hypertensive patients, which starts with a large survey with patients in some European countries. The survey aims to understand the psychological aspects of non-adherence and to improve awareness of the consequences of non-adherence. Following the results, an education campaign will be developed to improve adherence through a therapeutic alliance between health professionals and hypertensive patients. The collaboration with scientific societies and global patient groups will facilitate the dissemination and communication of the results, promoting the cultural change needed to improve the health of seniors. The results will help building a personalized approach of non-adherence to treatment with a special focus on the necessary therapeutic alliance between healthcare providers and patients.
OBJECTIVES:
- Raise awareness about the socio-economic impact of poor adherence to therapy in chronic diseases (cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, etc.)
- Initiate a collaborative dialogue between scientific societies, patient associations and in order to effectively and communicate the need to improve adherence to therapy
- Identify opportunities for actions and tools to improve the health status and quality of life of older people through increasing adherence to therapy, and at the same time saving cost for health systems
PROGRAM:
- 11.00 – Welcome
Fabio Massimo Castaldo, Roberto Messina - 11.15 – Institutional speeches
Ursula von der Leyen, Aldo Patriciello, Danilo Oscar Lancini - 11.45 – Driving Therapy Adherence to Improve Patient Health Outcomes
Fabio Massimo Castaldo, Maurizio Deplano, Giovambattista Desideri, Michel Burnier - 12.30 – Closing Remarks
Reinhold Kreutz, Roberto Messina