The congress, whose main theme was "From the Illness to the Patient", was a forum for discussion that focused on the need for a change in strategy in how society and the healthcare system approach chronic illness. “Patients need to be involved in the process of creating, organizing and providing care. They need to engage in close dialogue with all the health and social professionals involved. Care should be provided with people and not just for people”, said the organizers of the congress.

Talks were given by healthcare management professionals and managers, such as medical professionals, nurses, healthcare social workers, pharmacists, psychologists and public healthcare specialists from all over Spain.

The congress addressed the evolution of patients with a chronic illness from the beginning until the disease becomes chronic, complex chronic patients and patients with an advanced chronic illness, which highlighted the need for new, innovative approaches that include different services. Participants also discussed the importance of creating satisfactory long-term relationships between patients and professionals that encourage joint responsibility for patient health.

Albert Jovell, the Director of the UIC’s Global Institute of Public Health and Health Policy and President of the Spanish Patients' Forum, introduced the opening talk, “Patient-Centred Care", given by Angela Coulter, a Senior Research Scientist at the University of Oxford’s Department of Public Health and the Director of Global Initiatives at the Informed Medical Decisions Foundation.

Emilia Arrighi, the Head of Research at the UIC’s Global Institute of Public Health and Health Policy, participated in the roundtable discussion, “The Patient at the Centre of the System: How Can We Encourage Self-Care?”, in which she discussed how to improve patient-centred care in healthcare organizations.