The first of these projects is a study that will analyse the specific needs of chronic patients in order to propose strategies for comprehensive care that will help improve patients’ health education and adherence to medical treatment, scientific training of medical professionals and research. 

According to the World Health Organization, in 2020, 78% of the Spanish population will suffer from chronic illness and will therefore place a heavy burden on the healthcare system. These illnesses are already the main cause of death and disability worldwide and are the primary healthcare expense in Spain, which suggests that it will be a challenge to guarantee the sustainability of the Spanish healthcare system in the future. 

A chronic patient's condition produces certain symptoms that are common to all of them: difficulty making decisions; mood swings; poor doctor-patient communication; problems relating to family, workmates and friends; failure to adhere to treatment and medical advice; eating problems; impaired physical functions; lack of exercise; fatigue; difficulty managing pain; etc. 

Faced with this problem, the healthcare system should look for more effective ways to handle the increasing demand that chronic illness places on medical care. There are currently different proposals being made, such as training patient-experts, in the context of joint responsibility, and including the use of information and communication technologies in patient monitoring.   

The new agreement between Esteve and the UIC will promote research projects, scientific training and health education designed to analyse the behaviour and needs of chronic patients in primary care in order to improve the attention they receive and the use of medication. For Esteve, this alliance represents another step in the company’s commitment to chronic illness, with which it has extensive experience in the most relevant areas of study, including the cardiovascular system, the kidney, the respiratory system, bones and joints, and the nervous system. 

The first project to come from the new agreement is the “Research Study of Behaviour in Chronic Patients and Their Healthcare Needs. Chronic Patient Itinerary”. The study will be carried out over the course of a year by the UIC’s Global Institute of Public Health and Health Policy, supported by the Spanish Patients' Forum and funded by Esteve. 

Its objective is to improve the effectiveness of the main strategies for managing chronic illness and, at the same time, to assess the opinion chronic patients have of their condition and these strategies. Ultimately, the study will try to discover how chronic patients behave and what their specific needs are in order to propose action strategies that will offer them the most effective answer possible. The patients themselves will be an integral part of achieving these goals.   

The importance of this study lies in the possibility of creating sensitivity and awareness in the general population about the benefits of introducing strategies to manage chronic illness based on clear evaluation criteria that focus on effectiveness and incorporate the experiences of those who are affected by chronic illness. 

The study aims to improve medical care and service for chronic patients, establish a comprehensive framework for action and promote ways to improve areas such as patient health education, the importance of adhering to prescribed treatment programmes, scientific training for medical professionals and research in these areas. 

In order to achieve this goal, the study will be carried out in three different phases. In the first, the scientific literature on the main needs of chronic patients will be examined. In the second, a qualitative study will be carried out on chronic patients who have been diagnosed for over a year. In the third, specific recommendations based on the results obtained in the two previous phases will be made for the design of more effective action strategies to improve the health and quality of life of chronic patients.