The Postgraduate Degree in Patient Advocacy, set up by the Albert J. Jovell Institute in Public health and Patients at UIC Barcelona this Monday received one of the prizes that the Diario Médico awards to initiatives that are innovative in the area of healthcare, specifically, in the category of Patronage and Solidarity. The Postgraduate degree was awarded at an event held at the Catalan National Theatre (TNC). The Postgraduate degree, which is cutting-edge in both Spain and Europe, defends the idea that healthcare policy programmes and actions should incorporate patient representatives in their design, when they are written up, implemented and evaluated. In order to do this, the idea is that they must be well informed.
The Postgraduate Degree in Patient Advocacy, directed by Dr Maria Dolors Navarro, receives support from Janssen, Celgene, Esteve, Roche, Ipsen and Almirall. It is also the first experience involving exhaustive training in the characteristics that a good patient representative must have based on three cornerstones: aptitude, attitude and ability to relate. The programme objectives focus on the acquisition of skills and competences to implement patient participation at different levels of healthcare. This is done while taking into account their rights and obligations as well as promoting care based on the individual and on innovation in healthcare policies adjusted to needs.
