Chronic health research priorities to boost healthcare A panel of experts from different European countries mapped research priorities for improving the treatment of chronic health ailments, particularly through self-care. These research priorities have been published in an electronic book. Health © Shutterstock Chronic health conditions such as heart failure, asthma, diabetes and some cancers are on the rise in Europe and placing a heavy burden on healthcare and on taxpayers. One way to address this challenge is by supporting chronic care improvements in the form of self-care. Against this backdrop, the EU-funded IMPLEMENT (A research agenda on implementation research in chronic care) project investigated these improvements from a pan-European perspective. It focused on identifying these improvements and considering their effective implementation to support chronic care. The project team gathered and prioritised experts’ views from all over Europe. This was achieved through the IMPLEMENT National Expert Centres, with the aim of establishing one centre per EU country. A list of research topics needed for faster and more effective implementation of improvements in chronic care was then articulated. The experts agreed on 18 priority implementation considerations, with the first three being, take-up of improvements, measuring/evaluating implementation effectiveness, and patient empowerment for implementation. Beyond developing the implementation research agenda to accelerate improvements in care and support for people with chronic illnesses, the project produced a book titled ‘Better implementation of improvements in chronic care’. Featuring European experts’ views on future research and development, the book can be requested as a pdf file free of charge through the project’s website. In addition, the findings of the recently completed project are set to improve the impact of further funding in chronic healthcare. They will upgrade the overall health of citizens and boost the healthcare product industry. The results will also ultimately stimulate economic growth by lowering healthcare costs and help maintain a healthier workforce. Thanks to these efforts, ageing Europeans can look forward to a better quality of life. Keywords Healthcare, self-care, chronic care, chronic illnesses, ageing
