Better EU policies on health care services
HSR supports Europe's need to innovate to meet the healthcare demands of our ageing populations and increasing cost pressures. In this context, health policies and organisational innovations that can help make health care more effective and efficient will be very valuable. Improving the contribution of HSR to the health policy process at national and European levels was the aim of the HSREPP project. Within this context, the initiative set out to help optimise the delivery of health care services to Europeans. One major project activity involved the creation of a platform for new research through the organisation of a European HSR working conference. To prepare for this event, the project team consulted with health care experts to clarify HSR resource needs. In addition, HSREPP mapped the main HSR issues and provided an overview of scientific insights into the topic. The HSR meeting was attended by about 350 researchers and policymakers from just under 40 countries, both within and outside of the EU. All the results of the HSREPP project were published in a final report and a special issue of a scientific research journal. In these publications, the HSREPP project provided overviews of HSR, described the contribution it makes to policymaking, and presented the future major research priorities in Europe. The working conference itself helped establish a European HSR network. To build on this potential, it is vital that HSREPP follow-up activities remain available, enabling HSR stakeholders to meet and share information. This will constitute an invaluable contribution to European capacity and community building.
