European Professionals Research Articles

Strategic Communication across Borders: Country and Age Effects in the Practice of Communication Professionals in Europe

ABSTRACTIn this research, we investigated whether the perception of the importance of certain types of media, strategic issues, and excellence in the professional field of strategic communication in Europe differs across countries and across generations. Data were used from the 2007 (N = 1,087) and 2016 (N = 2,710) editions of the European Communication Monitor, an annual survey among strategic communication professionals in Europe. For the first time a basic two-level multilevel regression model was used to assess country effects and individual predictors (age, gender, education, position, and experience in the field) of media use (of mass media, owned media, social media, and interpersonal communication) and perceptions of the level of excellence of communication of the organization. Country and generational effects on the perception of strategic issues for the field were analysed using chi-square tests. Results show that in 2016, country effects are significant for the perception of the importance of mass media and social media use, interpersonal communication, and strategic issues for the field. In 2007, no such country effects were found. These results suggest that the influence and the context of the country of residence of the strategic communication professional have increased between 2007 and 2016.

Social Media Use Among Transplant Professionals in Europe: a Cross-Sectional Study From the European Society of Organ Transplantation.

Social media are Internet-based tools to gather and communicate information. Our aim was to survey transplant professionals in their attitude toward social media, to allow a better understanding of these technologies and their impact on health communication. An online survey was distributed through the European Society for Organ Transplantation's social media platforms. Participation was voluntary and confidential. Participants were health care professionals working in organ transplant fields and actively responding to the link shared through the European Society for Organ Transplantation's social media platforms. In total, 190 health care professionals answered the survey: 70 (37%) were 35 to 44 years old, 105 (55%) were male, and 154 (81%) were white. The main training background was transplant nephrology (n = 42; 22%), with 115 participants (61%) working in academic centers. More than half (n = 102; 54%) used social media multiple times per day, utilizing Twitter or Facebook to connect with patients in equal amounts (n = 65; 34%) or WhatsApp (n = 53; 28%). To communicate about non-work-related information, most respondents (n = 124; 65%) chose WhatsApp, with 98 (52%) connecting through Facebook and Instagram (n = 54; 28%). Of total participants, 77 (41%) actively used Web-based technologies for educational purposes. Respondents indicated that the main described risks associated with social media were breach of anonymity and confidentiality (n = 159; 84%), lack of authenticity (n = 77; 41%), lack of standard informed consent (n = 77; 41%), and organ trafficking (n = 71; 37%). Transplant health care professionals recognize the role of social media platforms in promoting organ donation, sharing information, and providing knowledge for trainees or for research purposes. Future studies are needed to investigate how health care institutions and professional organizations could prevent risks related to social media use by professionals.

Health Communication needs of health professionals in Europe – the H-COM cross sectional study

Abstract Background Effective communication between Health Professionals (HP) and patients is crucial for the overall functioning of the healthcare system with positive impacts on readmission rates, treatment outcomes, adherence and costs. However, health communication training is limited especially during medical training. In the framework of the EU H-COM project an exploration of health communication needs and gaps and preferred training methods was performed among HP. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 702 health professionals (Physicians: n = 315; Nurses: n = 258; Other: n = 129) through a purpose made questionnaire available in English, Greek, Polish, Spanish and German. Results Health communication training is considered necessary for physicians (89.8%) and nurses (89.7%), although 42.4% of them never received relevant training in the past. Professional status (p < 0.001), age (p = 0.079), gender (p = 0.090) and years of experience (p = 0.012) affected the likelihood of not having received such training, with physicians, HPs aged 45-54 years old, males and those having 6-10 years of experience being most in need. At least 50.0% reported encountering problems in communicating with their patients and facing several barriers either in primary health care settings and hospitals or in private practice. The ability to listen and answer patients, deliver bad news and obtain medical history were the most important communication skills identified, while the most suitable training method was learning relevant practical skills. The availability of such trainings is reported as being fair or poor at all educational levels by the majority. Conclusions Health communication training is considered important although currently not available to the extent needed. This research provides evidence concerning the preferred type, frequency and mode of health communication training providing also insight on differences between various HPs. Key messages Health communication training is crucial but inadequate in Europe. There are specific training needs and preferences among HP which need to be considered. Health communication training needs to be adapted and tailored to professionals’ age, experience and status.

Healthy public policy competences for public health: interactive and practice-oriented curriculum

Abstract Background Developing and implementing healthy public policy (HPP) is one of the practical competences expected of public health professionals in Europe and beyond (ASPHER 2018, Public Health Agency of Canada 2015, US Public Health Foundation 2014). Yet, organizational practices in building public health capacity to promote HPP are seldom documented. In order to improve its HPP interventions, the Montreal Public Health Unit has been leading and evaluating a HPP multidisciplinary community of practice since 2014. In response to participants’ requests, we recently formalized a HPP curriculum. Objectives Over a period of 12 months in 2018-2019, our objectives were to: (1) develop and pre-test a competency-based professional development curriculum in HPP for public health staff and interns (2) provide a repository of relevant references (3) identify dynamic pedagogical strategies applicable to a community of practice. Results As community of practice members and facilitators, we developed a HPP curriculum with the support of pedagogical and HPP experts. It was pre-tested and iteratively adjusted with members of the community of practice. We drew content from various disciplines including political sciences, public health, communication studies and public relations. We identified relevant: (1) competences; (2) core concepts; (3) practical skills; (4) key references; (5) practical case studies, (6) interactive pedagogical strategies such as an open-source online learning system. Conclusions We developed an innovative healthy public policy (HPP) curriculum in order to support an existing community of practice among public health staff. Dynamic pedagogical strategies and a more formal HPP curriculum can support competence development among public health staff, and this can be achieved while relying mostly on in-house expertise. This constitutes a stimulating capacity-building initiative for the enhancement of public health core competences. Key messages Developing healthy public policy is a core practical competence expected of public health professionals. Yet, organizational practices in building healthy public policy capacity are seldom documented. Developing dynamic pedagogical strategies and a more formal healthy public policy curriculum can support competence development among public health staff, while relying mostly on in-house expertise.

EHealth solutions to regional shortages in the health workforce

Abstract Background Healthcare systems are facing significant challenges, from demographics, shortage of health professionals to increasing costs that are associated with increasing demand. New technologies are thought to be a solution to these problems. However, the question is if the digitalization of healthcare will mitigate these problems and the shortage of health professionals in Europe. Methods This study provides a scoping review on existing health digital services aiming to cope with health professional shortage in Europe. The main challenges, from workforce performance, services quality, patient-interaction to technology use are addressed. The databases of Pubmed and Ebsco were searched. Results 38 papers were selected and analysed addressing eHealth with impact on the workforce performance. It highlights the challenges associated with the digitalization of healthcare, the implementation of digital services, considering the design online service, and the impact of digitalization on healthcare workforce performance. An overview of the major effects of transformative technologies (e.g. eHealth services, Internet of Things solutions, Artificial Intelligence) on the healthcare workforce are addressed. Moreover, what are the major implications of technological change for future skill needs and competences of the public health workforce? Are there any reliable projections on how technologies will change the structure of the labour market for health professionals? And to what extent is the workforce equipped to adapt to the changes? Conclusions Proper digitalization of healthcare will enable changes in the paradigm of healthcare delivery as well as in the mechanism for patients’ participation and engagement. Sustainable implementation of eHealth is an important opportunity to address health workforce shortage but it is not enough.

Immunization related behaviour among healthcare workers in Europe: Results of the HProImmune survey.

Vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) continue to pose a significant threat to healthcare workers (HCWs) while immunization among this group remains low. HCWs' behaviours as well as facilitators and barriers towards their vaccination for a number of VPDs were explored through an EU-wide survey. HCWs across the EU answered online survey that explored attitudes and behaviours towards vaccination for a number of VPDs. Response data were adjusted based on weights estimated by HCWs' country and working profession according to WHO statistics. The survey was delivered between October 2012 and April 2014. Analysis was based on responses from 5,424 HCWs from 14 European countries. The majority (86.7%) had a positive attitude regarding immunizations. HCWs considered influenza (86.4%), viral hepatitis type B (71.9%) and tuberculosis (59.1%) as higher risk diseases for occupational exposure in the workplace. However, 43.8% reported not receiving a seasonal influenza vaccine in the last 10 years and 65.6% reported not receiving the pandemic influenza vaccine in 2009. Main enablers towards immunizations included believing in vaccine protection and easy, free of charge access to vaccines in the workplace. Barriers to up-to-date immunizations differed according to disease but included concerns about short- and long-term effects. Although the concept of mandatory vaccination seems to be favoured by many health professionals in Europe, it remains a controversial subject both among HCWs' profession categories and also among different countries. Interventions to increase vaccination among HCWs would benefit by tailoring their approach according to disease and target group.

A New Paradigm in Croatian Higher Education: Non – Formal Foreign Language Learning

Knowledge of legal English, with English as lingua franca of international communication has become an essential precondition for communication of legal professionals worldwide. That is the reason why law students and legal professionals in Europe, especially those working in new member states of the EU, are interested in widening their knowledge in legal English within different forms of non-formal foreign language education. In this paper, the author presents a new paradigm of foreign language teaching at Croatian universities that was introduced due to recent changes in professional communication, the intensive development of IT, and growing importance of English in international context. The objective of the paper is to present examples of good practice and innovation in teaching LSP in Croatian higher education. The challenges of professional communication in the field of law are presented and discussed in the introduction of the paper. In the main part, the types of non-formal education are presented that were developed at the Faculty of Law Osijek, Croatia as a response to requirements of the EU labour market and the professional communication between lawyers. The first non-formal type of education presented in the paper is the Lifelong Learning Programme for Lawyer Linguists, and the second one the course Legal English for Civil Servants developed within the European cross-border project CATCH, organized by Croatian and Hungarian units of local and regional self-government. In the conclusion, the author discusses the achievements of the two programmes and offers her vision of the future developments in foreign language teaching at European higher education institutions.

Practice in financial support of third party organised conferences and courses at a national level for health care professionals in Europe.

Background Ethical MedTech prescribes high standards for the participation of the in vitro diagnostics (IVD) industry in third-party organised educational events in terms of charitable donations, educational grants, scholarships and fellowships. We planned a survey to investigate the previous and current practice in terms of cooperation between professionals or professional societies and the IVD industry, as well as plans under the incorporation of the MedTech Europe Code. Methods Different questions, from general information to specific questions related to the practice and knowledge of the new Ethical MedTech Code, were included in two different surveys; for European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) National Societies' (NSs) representatives, and for their (NSs) individual members. Results Twenty-five out of 40 EFLM NS representatives replied; more than half declared that all different types of financial resources were available for supporting the continuing professional education of health care professionals (HCPs). In addition, 322 individual responses collected from 31 NSs, answered that the institutional director (50.3%) or laboratory chief (70.1%) made generally made a decision, without specific criteria. Conclusions The MedTech Europe Code is already adopted or is about to be adopted in numerous EFLM NSs, but most of them have not implemented it as yet. The use of the Code and better communication between IVD companies and HCPs are necessary to guarantee an improved and fair use of financial support, as well as better choices for the organisation and attendance at scientific events.

An examination of sustainability reporting in valuation practice

PurposeThe importance of sustainability in the property industry is well recognised, and many studies have proved the existence of sustainability premiums in real estate markets. Valuers play the most pivotal role in reflecting the market, however despite the efforts of both academic and professional bodies to improve valuer knowledge and perceptions of sustainability there remains significant limitation of consideration of sustainability in valuation within the profession. The purpose of this paper is to investigate valuation practice through examining institutional grade commercial valuers’ approaches and consideration of sustainability in valuation.Design/methodology/approachThis research used a case study approach and interviewed institutional grade commercial valuers in Melbourne, Australia, exploring their consideration of sustainability in their valuation reports for commercial properties. A semi-structured interview technique was utilised with responses using qualitative content analysis that investigated the processes used, knowledge and incorporation of sustainability in valuation practice.FindingsThe study has found substantial limitations in the incorporation of sustainability in property valuation in Melbourne’s real estate market, comprising valuers’ limited knowledge, reluctance to consider sustainability in the valuation process, poor verification or investigation of sustainability considerations, client instructions did not direct valuers to consider sustainability, lack of data and limited tools for detailed analysis.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough a small sample, the data redundancy found in this research suggests a level of consensus on certain aspects of practice within the sector in Melbourne. This corroborates similar findings from a large-scale study of valuers and property professionals in Europe and the UK (Michlet al.2016).Practical implicationsThere is urgent need for more education and direction in the consideration and incorporation of sustainability in valuation for valuers. Enhancing the enforcement of guidelines from professional bodies is also crucial in order to deepen the analysis of sustainability in property valuation.Originality/valueThe research has provided an in-depth perspective of valuation practice in the commercial sector, that identifies and expands on the barriers in regard to limited incorporation of sustainability in property valuation reports, physical reporting, comparative analysis and depth of discussion. Further, it highlights the limited consideration of guidance notes in regard to sustainability from professional bodies.

A New Paradigm in Croatian Higher Education: Non – Formal Foreign Language Learning

Knowledge of legal English, with English as lingua franca of international communication, has become an essential precondition for communication of legal professionals worldwide. That is the reason why law students and legal professionals in Europe, especially those working in new member states of the EU, are interested in widening their knowledge in legal English within different forms of non-formal foreign language education. In this paper, the author presents a new paradigm of foreign language teaching at Croatian universities that was introduced due to recent changes in professional communication, the intensive development of IT, and the growing importance of English in the international context. The objective of the paper is to present examples of good practice and innovation in teaching LSP in Croatian higher education. The challenges of professional communication in the field of law are presented and discussed in the introduction of the paper. In the main part, the types of nonformal education are presented that were developed at the Faculty of Law Osijek, Croatia as a response to requirements of the EU labor market and the professional communication between lawyers. The first nonformal type of education presented in the paper is the Lifelong Learning Programme for Lawyer Linguists, and the second one is the course Legal English for Civil Servants developed within the European cross-border project CATCH, organized by Croatian and Hungarian units of local and regional self-government. In the conclusion, the author discusses the achievements of the two programs and offers her vision of the future developments in foreign language teaching at European higher education institutions.

Vascularized composite allotransplantation - a Council of Europe position paper.

After more than 120 hand-upper extremity and 37 face transplant procedures performed worldwide, vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) now falls under the scope of organ transplant legislation in Europe and the United States. While in the USA, VCA has been considered as standard care since 2014, VCA in Europe is still performed through clinical research trials, except in United Kingdom. However, after two decades of favourable experience with upper extremity transplantation (UET), professionals in Europe are proposing hand allotransplantation as "controlled standard" care, as opposed to face transplantation (FT), which is still a challenging activity. The European Committee on Organ Transplantation (CD-P-TO) has elaborated a position paper to provide recommendations concerning regulatory aspects for UET and FT. It is aimed at Health Authorities in charge of the oversight - and coordination - of organ donation and transplantation, and at professional groups to help them manage such complex and costly programs dedicated to properly selected patients.

Weaning practices in phenylketonuria vary between health professionals in Europe

BackgroundIn phenylketonuria (PKU), weaning is considered more challenging when compared to feeding healthy infants. The primary aim of weaning is to gradually replace natural protein from breast milk or standard infant formula with solids containing equivalent phenylalanine (Phe). In addition, a Phe-free second stage L-amino acid supplement is usually recommended from around 6 months to replace Phe-free infant formula. Our aim was to assess different weaning approaches used by health professionals across Europe. MethodsA cross sectional questionnaire (survey monkey®) composed of 31 multiple and single choice questions was sent to European colleagues caring for inherited metabolic disorders (IMD). Centres were grouped into geographical regions for analysis. ResultsWeaning started at 17–26 weeks in 85% (n = 81/95) of centres, >26 weeks in 12% (n = 11/95) and < 17 weeks in 3% (n = 3/95). Infant's showing an interest in solid foods, and their age, were important determinant factors influencing weaning commencement. 51% (n = 48/95) of centres introduced Phe containing foods at 17–26 weeks and 48% (n = 46/95) at >26 weeks. First solids were mainly low Phe vegetables (59%, n = 56/95) and fruit (34%, n = 32/95).A Phe exchange system to allocate dietary Phe was used by 52% (n = 49/95) of centres predominantly from Northern and Southern Europe and 48% (n = 46/95) calculated most Phe containing food sources (all centres in Eastern Europe and the majority from Germany and Austria). Some centres used a combination of both methods.A second stage Phe-free L-amino acid supplement containing a higher protein equivalent was introduced by 41% (n = 39/95) of centres at infant age 26–36 weeks (mainly from Germany, Austria, Northern and Eastern Europe) and 37% (n = 35/95) at infant age > 1y mainly from Southern Europe. 53% (n = 50/95) of centres recommended a second stage Phe-free L-amino acid supplement in a spoonable or semi-solid form. ConclusionsWeaning strategies vary throughout European PKU centres. There is evidence to suggest that different infant weaning strategies may influence longer term adherence to the PKU diet or acceptance of Phe-free L-amino acid supplements; rendering prospective long-term studies important. It is essential to identify an effective weaning strategy that reduces caregiver burden but is associated with acceptable dietary adherence and optimal infant feeding development.

Information management – a skills gap?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore very recent data about how large organizations are dealing with a shortage of information and communications technology (ICT) specialists, in terms of its implications for information management.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on qualitative interview-based research with 11 large European companies, with an estimated ICT workforce of around 400,000 (about 14 per cent of ICT professionals in Europe), covering hiring, retention and upskilling of ICT staff, and expectations concerning graduates from European universities. These data are combined with International Data Corporation (IDC) analyst reports on the demand for different categories of ICT products and services, and data from the authors’ consulting work.FindingsLarger organizations expect hiring to be a challenge, with strong competition for talent, whether from existing users or from the many rapidly digitalizing companies – digitalizing their organizations; their products and services; and their relationships with customer, suppliers and business partners. Upskilling and retraining workforces is seen by large organizations as a better approach than hiring, allowing them to create the right skills balance and retain their workers better. However, softer skills, such as communication and problem solving, are seen as just as important. ICT workers will benefit from a lifelong approach to learning, acquiring new skills and adapting existing skills. Many ICT companies have created academies for developing employee skills and certifications related to their own technologies, while the education sector has been working on creating curricula (alone or sometimes in partnerships with vendors) to improve graduate employability.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is based on a small sample of large companies. The situation may be different in other companies and smaller organizations.Practical implicationsOrganizations can cope with the skills shortage by anticipating and working with the market forces rather than trying to oppose them.Social implicationsICT employees will show the way for employees in other sectors where skills are scarce, by demonstrating how to reinvent themselves as the skills needed change.Originality/valueThis paper demonstrates that employers have changed their expectations of universities. They expect less that graduates will be ICT-employment ready, and more that they will have the skills to make and keep themselves employment ready. This has significant implications for university course design.

Integrated school health services in Europe: an overview

Introduction: The extent to which School Health Services SHS professionals in Europe integrate their care with care of non-SHS professionals at school or with other primary health care providers, range from no integration at all to full integration. SHS in this study are defined as health services provided to enrolled pupils by healthcare professionals and/or allied professionals, irrespective of site of service provision and mandated by a formal arrangement between the educational institution and the provider healthcare organization. In this study, we focus on integrated SHS throughout 30 European countries. This study is part of the MOCHA study Models of Child Health Appraised, a Horizon 2020 study identifying the optimal models of children’s primary health care, including SHS. Methods: Data on cooperation policies and practices of SHS in 30 European countries is collected via Country Agents CA’s, a local expert in child health services. CA’s answered – for their country – questions on 1 types of SHS-professionals available; 2 informing and advising of non-SHS professionals teachers and other school staff members about children with life-affecting health issues and how to manage the child in school; 3 access to record keeping on pupils’ general health issues by non-SHS professionals; 4 reporting of non-SHS professionals of general health concerns about individual pupils; 5 any formal national recommendations relating to the cooperation between SHS-professionals and other forms of primary care services; 6 any formal national recommendations that supports inter-professional working within SHS 7 national policy or guidelines that encourages inter-professional meetings to discuss the issue of absenteeism, violence and disruptive behaviour or school drop-out, e.g. meetings between SHS-professionals, teacher, and other health care professionals? 8 means of provision of key health data if a child needs emergency treatment during the school day. Results: Preliminary results show that there is a great variation between European countries to what extent SHS-professionals cooperate and involve other professionals. Most countries have formal national recommendations relating to the cooperation between SHS and the other forms of primary care services and in most countries, but in many countries formal policies on sharing health concerns with non SHS-professionals are lacking. As the data collection is ongoing more data will be presented at the conference. Discussions: Thoughts of integrated care usually focus on older citizens, or those with chronic conditions. However, children of school age are at a formative stage regarding their health, health behavior, and health resilience. They spend most of their day in a school setting, which intentionally seeks to influence their future. Ensuring integrated support by health systems is very important. Conclusions: There is wide disparity across Europe on what constitutes good integrated health support to school children. Work is ongoing assessing best structures and outcomes. Lessons learned: SHS are an under-researched area, yet the principles of integrated care are crucial for the ongoing mental and physical well-being of this key generation. Limitations: This work is ongoing, and final conclusions have not yet been reached. Suggestions for future research: Deeper study of acceptability and outcomes of different models.

European Pain Federation (EFIC) position paper on appropriate use of cannabis-based medicines and medical cannabis for chronic pain management.

This position paper provides expert recommendations for nonspecialist and specialist healthcare professionals in Europe, on the importance and the appropriate use of cannabis-based medicines as part of a multidisciplinary approach to pain management, in properly selected and supervised patients.

Interruptions at Work from the Point of View of IT Professionals

It is a major challenge nowadays to recruit and retain young professionals, especially IT professionals in Europe. Interior designers do their bests to create an office space that is more attractive for the young talents than the competitor’s workspace. Modern workstyle is based on communication and collaboration and therefore modern office spaces are designed to support continuous communication and teamwork. In this research, we raise the question how IT professionals fit in this workstyle. The focus of this research is on how IT professionals feel about the different types of communication channels, which are those they identify as hindering factors, and how much their opinion differs from other professionals. During the research, we collected information from questionnaires asking about work environment, communication channels used in the workplace, individual communication preferences, and factors considered as disruptions. The questionnaire was completed by 191 Hungarian office workers from which 63 respondents were IT professionals. The most important result of the research shows that while IT professionals consider personal inquiries useful, many of them are dissatisfied with organized meetings. This research also outlines that IT professionals have an outstanding ability to block out office noise and to focus on work. With the conclusions we make suggestions to the organizations how to improve the communicational environment in order to support work efficiency.

Gender Differences in Psychological Well-Being and Health Problems among European Health Professionals: Analysis of Psychological Basic Needs and Job Satisfaction.

Background: The aim was to examine the mediating role of basic psychological needs and job satisfaction in the relationship between the gender effect on health problems and psychological well-being for health professionals in Europe in 2015. Methods: Two multiple partial mediation analyses were conducted in order to test the partial mediation of both basic needs and job satisfaction, with gender as the independent variable and health problems or well-being, respectively, as the dependent variables, with a sample of health professionals. Results: Women reported lower psychological well-being and more health problems than men. The total effect of gender on both well-being and health problems was found to be significant. Regarding multiple mediation analyses: (a) the effect of gender on well-being was fully mediated by global basic need satisfaction and job satisfaction, such that gender did not present a significant direct effect and (b) the effect of gender on health problems was partially mediated by global basic need satisfaction and job satisfaction, such that the direct effect remained significant. Conclusions: The fulfillment of basic needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as postulated within self-determination theory, was hypothesized to play a mediating role in the relationship between gender and well-being. Since significant gender differences in basic need satisfaction were observed, such a mediator should be controlled in order to achieve a significant relationship between gender and well-being when basic needs comes into play. The current study adds to the research emphasizing the need for satisfaction as a promising mechanism underlying for female health professionals’ well-being.

Conceptualizing the pedestrian mall in post-war North America and understanding its transatlantic transfer through the work and influence of Victor Gruen

ABSTRACTPedestrianization was an established concept among modernist architects and planners long before the first post-war pedestrian malls were built in North American downtowns. Post-war pedestrian-oriented suburban shopping malls, such as Northland near Detroit, MI and Northgate in Seattle, WA, linked retail success to the pedestrian shopping experience. This propelled the existing but then-untested assumption that planning downtowns to mimic suburban shopping centres by pedestrianizing main streets would revitalize downtown retail districts. Despite the modern origins of the pedestrianization concept, the rhetorical cues of post-war architects and planners in North America mask its modern roots and employ nostalgic imagery of pre-industrial European urbanism, implying European origin of the concept. Although imagery of European charm became a means of packaging modernist ideas of pedestrianization, the design proposals rarely referenced or replicated actual European precedents. Furthermore, while much research implies a linear transfer of pedestrianization ideas from Europe to North America, professionals in Europe also looked to North American shopping malls and pedestrian streets for guidance in addressing their own challenges with accommodating automobiles in downtowns.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use and Initiatives in Europe

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use and Initiatives in Europe

Health Literacy Competencies for European Health Care Personnel.

Background:Health literacy as a concept is gaining importance in European countries, although it is still not adequately addressed among health personnel. Health literacy supports the self-management of patients in maintaining and improving health, which could decrease the burden on health systems in Europe. However, health professionals lack adequate knowledge about health literacy and the skills to promote health literacy among their patients.Objective:The Health Literacy Practices and Educational Competencies for Health Professionals (a health literacy training curriculum for health professionals) was recently developed in the United States, and the study presented here aimed to refine that assessment for health personnel in European settings.Methods:The modified Delphi method was used and data collected online via electronic communication to achieve consensus among an expert panel. The participants were a group of 20 health literacy and health care experts from 10 professional fields representing 13 European countries. The participants rated health literacy competencies on a four-point Likert scale and provided written feedback and recommendations. If a predetermined threshold of 70% or more of the participants agreed on the competency, the consensus was defined (similar to the criteria in the Health Literacy Practices and Educational Competencies for Health Professionals intervention).Key Results:After three rounds of ratings and modifications, consensus agreement was reached on 56 health literacy competencies (20 knowledge items, 25 skills items, 11 attitude items) and 38 practices. Eight items were removed from the original list and eight new items were added to the final list.Conclusions:This study is the first known attempt to develop a measurable list of health literacy competencies for health personnel in Europe. Further work is needed to develop educational curricula, standard national and regional guidelines, and questionnaires for the process of implementation to maximize health literacy responsiveness in health care organizations. [Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2017;1(4):e247–e256.]Plain Language Summary:The Health Literacy Practices and Educational Competencies for Health Professionals was recently developed in the United States. This study aimed to refine that assessment for health care professionals in Europe. The modified Delphi method was used and data collected online via electronic communication, and in the end, 56 health literacy competencies were included.