Increases the interest of patients to combat chronic diseases

Newsroom

The VI edition of the Expert Patient Course in Chronic Pathologies of the Rey Juan Carlos University, carried out in collaboration with the Grünenthal Foundation and the Lilly Foundation, has closed with a record number of inscriptions. In total, 80 students participated, in an event that was attended by the directors of the course, Dr. Carlos Goicoechea and Dr. Francisco Gómez Esquer, as well as Javier Martínez, patron of the Grünenthal Foundation.

Chronic pain, due to its high prevalence and impact on the people who suffer from it and their environment, has been addressed in one of the course modules. Basic concepts of anatomy, human physiology, pharmacology and psychology have been offered to help the patient face and assume his illness "It is very important that the patient is aware that there are ways to improve chronic pain and the situation that this entails", points out Dr. Goicoechea.

Currently, most deaths are due to chronic pathologies such as diabetes, cancer or cardiovascular diseases. This is due, among other factors, to the increase in life expectancy. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), chronic diseases currently account for 63% of deaths worldwide and are responsible for 75% of public health spending.

The objective of this training has been to turn patients and their caregivers into experts with a high level of knowledge in the self-care of the disease and to create social awareness of the need to develop and implement effective strategies to face the challenge of chronicity. This is achieved through theoretical-practical training that allows us to understand the effects of the disease, as well as the treatment and approach. "Patients who know the meaning of having a chronic disease know how to identify their symptoms and properly communicate them to their doctor," Dr. Goicochea assured.

Javier Martínez, for his part, pointed out that this course should help generate networks of expert patients who, among other contributions, can transmit their perception and knowledge to all the bodies responsible for improving care for patients with pain.

In this context, the training of chronic patients and their caregivers becomes a fundamental pillar of the system. It is capable of transforming active patients (patients who care about their health and take responsibility for obtaining the best possible health care and controlling the evolution of their disease) into expert patients (patients with an advanced degree of knowledge in the self-care of his pathology).

Since the first edition launched in 2018, the course continues with an increase in students every year due to the growing interest in managing chronic pain of one's own and those of relatives and, in this particular edition, due to the blended format, which has allowed students to students greater flexibility when approaching the theoretical-practical sessions.