Integration, coordination and transversality

Before going on, it is essential to specify what exactly means ‘knowledge in health sector’. In the health field, not only in relation to the professionals involved but also in the patients and their caregivers, we should talk about “competences” rather than “knowledge”. Within the concept of “competences” we can include those capabilities that enable all stakeholders, especially the professionals, carry out their work with the highest quality and efficiency. This fact is not possible only with the theory, but requires adequate skills and attitudes.

The integration between all the institutions that develop training of health professionals is scarce. Competences defined in each of the learning phases (degree or vocational training, master or specialization and, finally, life-long learning) are individual and, often, there are little appropriate contents, repetitive and contradictories.

A transversal coordination during the acquisition of professional skills would enable a better quality and, specifically, more security in the health area. In addition, it also would give rise to the involvement of patients and a training closer to day-to-day, identifying new content such as digital medical history and the ICT management (Information and Communication Technologies). On the other hand, it would offer a more significant involvement of non-technical skills such as teamwork, ethics and professionalism. This would lead to a lower impact of the human factor in a too technologic learning.

The strengths in the acquisition of professional skills are related to the attempt of a professionalization of the education and training from the very beginning. This is done through a definition of training plans that focus on the acquisition of these skills, instead of providing contents that are not relevant for the practice or not totally clear. Greater coordination between the training plans at different stages with an aim of a positive impact for the patient would allow for a more efficient training and, in turn, increase the learner’s involvement.

The participation of all health sector stakeholders, and not just some of them, would generate better tracking of professionals from a training standpoint. The low contribution of the real environment where these professionals carry out their work, such as the various health facilities (hospitals, primary care, community care, home care, outpatient), implies a very biased assessment of the performance of these professionals. The real implication of the institutions and, especially, of the people (professionals and patients) in the health field, would allow a definition that is more efficient, safe and close to the real needs of professionals.

4D Cities project can be very useful in the sense of, precisely, provide the conditions so that those involved in the health day-to-day meet and work in the improvement of management of this area. Formed in Local Support Groups, they analyze the impact that the sector currently has on people with the roles of patients, caregivers, professionals and citizens. Strategies agreed between all stakeholders will help to better identify training deficiencies of individuals and institutions closely related. Thus, proposals will be more integrative designed and the team, now composed and competent, will be more involved.