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Why we need action

Chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes are on the rise worldwide and account for around 60% of all deaths. It is essential to prevent these diseases, but also to support those who are coping with them. Good care can help control chronic disease and avoid preventable death and illness.

As patients are largely responsible for the day-to-day care of their chronic disease, self-management is an essential part of chronic illness care. Self-management involves developing healthy behaviors and lifestyles that are sustainable. It also involves managing the medical aspects of a condition and the psychosocial consequences of living with a chronic illness. Individuals at high risk of type 2 diabetes can reduce their risk of developing the disease by over 50% through lifestyle change programs that focus on healthy eating and physical activity. Similarly, those affected by diabetes can reduce their risk of complications, such as eye disease, kidney disease, and nerve damage, by 40% through effective blood sugar management. By following a healthy lifestyle, individuals with cardiovascular diseases can prevent over 80% of cases of coronary artery disease, 50% of ischemic strokes, 80% of sudden cardiac deaths, and 72% of premature deaths related to heart disease.

Successful self-management can improve the quality of life for individuals and families, as well as increase economic productivity. Over the past decades, several self-management programs have been developed to support patients living with chronic illnesses. Although these programs have shown positive effects on some outcome variables, a comprehensive approach is needed to promote progress in this area, including an assessment of the needs and gaps in self-management support in European countries.

Our mission

Patients are at the heart of what we do. Work Package 10 of the JACARDI project brings together healthcare professionals and researchers from 9 European countries with a common goal: to improve the self-management of patients with cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes with new, effective tools that help patients, their families and caregivers to manage chronic conditions.

Our action plan

Our team carries out 14 pilot projects in 7 countries over the 4 years of JACARDI. Pilot projects are new initiatives that are implemented on a limited scale for testing purposes, and where the implementers collect reliable data to show whether the project has the potential to succeed on a larger scale.

The pilot projects are designed based on the available scientific literature, previous good practices, and feedback and input from patients. They cover the four main dimensions of patients’ self-management tasks and support needs, which are:

  1. lifestyle changes,
  2. communication with health care providers,
  3. coping with the consequences of illness, and
  4. medical management.

The pilot projects are designed, implemented, and evaluated based 
on the following steps:

1.

Understanding and answering to patients’ needs
Completed by: August 2024

As a preliminary step, we need to better understand patients’ needs. This allows us to identify the gaps between their needs and current practices and support tools. We then search the scientific literature and best practices for credible interventions that could bridge these gaps and give patients what they need most to self-manage their condition.

2.

Creating pilot project plans
Completed by: February 2025

We are creating pilot plans for the 13 pilot sites using a co-creation approach, which means that we are fully involving patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals in the planning process to ensure their acceptance and participation in the project. As part of this process, we are mindful of differences in age, gender, and cultural aspects to reduce health inequalities. The pilots that we develop involve new types of digital tools (e.g. mobile phone applications and games), educational videos, and training methods aiming to improve patients’ self-management skills.

3.

Implementing pilot projects
Completed by: January 2027

With the pilot plans in hand, we first take a train-the-trainer approach and provide specific training activities at each pilot site for the healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers involved in the pilots. Once everyone is on board with the necessary information, we implement the pilots. We expect to reach approximately 10-40,000 people over the 2 year long period.

4.

Evaluating pilots and providing recommendations
Completed by: November 2027

Once the pilots have come to an end, we analyze and summarize their results based on 5 key dimensions:

  • Clinical effectiveness
  • Patients’ experiences
  • Economic efficiency
  • Distributional equity
  • Sustainability

These results and the evidence collected in the pilots allow us to develop a roadmap that can be used across Europe to strengthen patients’ self-management skills. 

Strategies for long-term success

We know our work cannot stop at achieving good results in a pilot project. Translating these findings into practice is the key to improving the lives of patients in greater numbers. 

To ensure that our work has a lasting and extensive impact, we strive to:

  • Develop a comprehensive roadmap based on pilot results for the gradual scaling up of self-management support.
  • Establish long-term partnerships with relevant health authorities, institutions, and organizations.
  • Develop sustainable training programs with a train-the-trainer approach to ensure ongoing dissemination of knowledge for care professionals, patients, and caregivers.
  • Share best practices and lessons learned with other regions and countries.
  • Collaborate with policymakers to integrate successful self-management strategies into healthcare policies.