For the past decade the European Institutions have been championing a range of initiatives and making steady steps towards improving the quality, safety and efficiency of health service delivery in Europe. The European Federation of Nurses’ Associations (EFN) has been supporting some of them, by engaging the nursing profession, knowing that the future of EU health services lies in serious health system reform, and that the nurses of Europe have first-hand knowledge of the weaknesses and strengths of the healthcare system and can share valuable insights to inform needed actions towards sustainability, efficiency, quality and safety in EU healthcare.
The EFN members acknowledge that health system reform requires substantial effort and investment, but the potential benefits to EU society make it worth the pursuit. In this context, the European Commission is bringing together internationally renowned expertise to strengthen country-specific and EU-wide knowledge in the field of health, through the “State of Health in the EU” two-year initiative (2016-2017), in an effort to provide Member States with the evidence relevant to their specific context, and support them in their evidence-based policy making, starting in November 2016 with the publication of the “Health at a Glance: Europe 2016” report prepared by the OECD in cooperation with the Commission.
As the single largest occupational group in healthcare, nurses, have a critical and constructive role to play in innovation which is ‘fit for practice’. The way forward is simple: promote continuity and integration of care through investment and upscaling of a nursing-led care coordination models; foster efficiency of health and social systems through deploying eHealth services and advanced roles (ANP); improve quality, safety and cost-effectiveness through the development of new skills, including eSkills; and deploying interprofessional education system to improve health and social care outcomes.
It is important to take the pulse of daily practice and remain informed of the reality of health and social service delivery safety and quality. The systematic knowledge development can make a significant contribution to the development of evidence-based policy towards effective health and social ecosystem reform in Europe.