The goals of JACARDI are to increase healthy life years, improve health equity, and reduce premature deaths in Europe.
IDIVAL’s representation at this forum was led by Lorena Madrigal and Sara Barbero from the nursing research group, who presented the pilot projects they are working on as part of the initiative.
The IDIVAL Health Research Institute participated this week in the Annual General Assembly of the Joint Action on Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes (JACARDI) in Paris. This event, which concluded last Friday at the Santé Publique France building, brought together key stakeholders from across Europe to strengthen collaboration in the fight against non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
These conditions pose a significant threat to people’s health and well-being, as well as burdening healthcare systems and hindering social and economic development. In response to this challenge, JACARDI was created a year ago with the mission to increase healthy life years, improve health equity, and reduce premature deaths in Europe.
The initiative is implementing 142 pilot projects aimed at testing evidence-based practices to prevent and manage cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, involving 76 partner institutions from 21 European countries.
Education, prevention, and coordinated management
The JACARDI General Assembly began last Wednesday with a plenary session inaugurated by Caroline Semaille, Director of Santé Publique France, and Christine Jacob-Schumacher, a representative from the French Ministry of Health. During this opening day, JACARDI’s first year of activities was reviewed, with contributions from experts such as Stefan Craenen from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Maria Vasile from the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA), who shared insights and updates on European legislation.
JACARDI aims to offer solutions throughout the patient care continuum, from prevention and early detection to treatment and self-management, with the goal of achieving specific, effective outcomes in improving population health.
Thursday saw the start of parallel sessions, which concluded on Friday. These meetings focused on specific work packages, addressing topics such as health literacy, integrated care pathways, data accessibility, and patient self-management. In these sessions, project manager Lorena Madrigal and psychologist Sara Barbero presented the pilot projects they are working on with their teams at IDIVAL.
IDIVAL’s role in JACARDI
IDIVAL’s nursing group is leading three important initiatives within the European JACARDI project, aiming to improve health literacy for both patients and the general public, as well as providing self-care tools and practices to patients with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. These actions aim to empower patients to adopt healthy lifestyles and improve their quality of life.
Two of the pilot projects focus on the creation and implementation of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), building on previous successful experiences with this format. The courses feature mini-videos and interactive forums, aimed at teaching self-care techniques, raising awareness of diseases, promoting early diagnosis, and encouraging positive lifestyle changes.
The third project focuses on the implementation of Responsible Care Workshops, facilitated by expert patients. These workshops foster a community where participants share valuable experiences and knowledge. Through these courses, patients not only receive health education but also reinforce their self-management skills, improving their overall well-being.
The pilots involve nurses from the Primary Care Service of Cantabria, patients from the Active Patient Program of the Cantabrian Health School, and nursing professors from the University of Cantabria, who collaborate in the development and implementation of the courses.
These pilots will be evaluated to collect data demonstrating the effectiveness of the results in improving treatment adherence and promoting healthy lifestyle habits, empowering patients to become agents of change within their communities as expert patients.
According to Dr. Carmen Sarabia, principal investigator of the project, one of the key factors that will make a difference in the outcomes of these pilots is that “the projects are committed to accessibility and inclusivity, as well as their sustainability and scalability, so that these initiatives can reach a wider audience and have a lasting impact on public health in the region.” This approach will allow the courses to be adapted to different contexts and populations, ensuring that more people can benefit from this training in the long term.
Together, the three projects aim to promote greater patient engagement in their own care, improve their quality of life, and reduce the burden these diseases represent both for healthcare systems and the affected individuals.
Cover image: Lorena Madrigal and Sara Barbero with other JACARDI project partners at Santé Publique France.
