Dear readers,

it is a pleasure for our consortium to publish this last COMPAR-EU newsletter. Our project
is coming to its completion at the end of this year.

We take this opportunity to thank you once again for your interest and contributions. We
also want to highlight that all our achievements have been possible only because of the
great collaborative efforts from all partners over the last five years. We have both enjoyed
and learned from our work and complementary expertise. Congratulations and thank you
very much to everyone!

In this issue, we cover the relevant activities carried out during the last semester. The
main focus was on dissemination efforts: the research conference which presented the
project’s results and opportunities for sustainability; the advocacy conference held with
patients and policymakers to create awareness about self-management; and
presentations about the platform on different occasions.

We hope the project results will reach our different audiences and offer new opportunities
to improve self-management.

We especially recommend that you read the article covering a spin-off that emerged
from COMPAR-EU: Self-management Europe (SME). SME will allow us to keep the
platform updated or generate new resources helpful for various target groups. We look
forward to continuing our contact with you through this initiative.

In this context, instead of saying goodbye, we’ll see you soon! We wish you a merry
Christmas and a great new year!

On behalf of the COMPAR-EU project,

Carola Orrego
Project coordinator

Read the full newsletter here.

The COMPAR-EU project team recently the second leaflet containing new updates on the work on the project and an outlook on the future. These are the main topics:

The innovative COMPAR-EU platform

The online platform presents the main results of the COMPAR-EU project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. The goal of this platform is to facilitate a smooth transition from the evidence generated to practice. It was launched in July 2022.

Check out the tools of the COMPAR-EU platform to support self-management.

Recommendations for the future

Check out our recommendations on SMI taxonomy, Core Outcome Sets, Effective SMIs, Cost-effective SMIs and Contextual factors.

SELF-MANAGEMENT EUROPE

The European Research and Innovation Centre on Patient Empowerment and Self-Management, called “Self-Management Europe”, is a not-for-profit partnership of organisations working on patient empowerment and self-management with a special focus on chronic diseases. We publish Alerts that aim to contribute to greater awareness and accessibility of self-management support for patients, especially for those living with a chronic condition The Alerts address healthcare professionals, managers and other stakeholders looking for practical recommendations to implement practices that enhance self-management and patient empowerment.

Check out four Issues of the Alert.

Link to the leaflet: https://self-management.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Leaflet_COMPAR-EU_2.pdf 
Link to the COMPAR-EU platform: https://platform.self-management.eu/
Link to Self-Management Europe: https://self-management.eu/selfmanagementeurope/

Evidence for existing self-management interventions (SMIs) is increasing exponentially, as is the need for strategies and tools to facilitate their implementation. COMPAR-EU consortium partners are delighted to announce the launch of an information technology platform to support decision making on SMIs for different end users with the four relevant chronic diseases: type 2 diabetes, obesity, COPD and heart failure.

This interactive COMPAR-EU platform hosts several products to support decision making on self-management interventions

Interactive Summary of Findings tables (iSoF)

The iSoF helps to guide developers and healthcare professionals in finding and understanding the main results regarding the effectiveness of SMIs for core outcomes sets (COS) that are considered relevant for stakeholders of the four chronic diseases.

Evidence to Decision frameworks (EtD) and recommendations

The purpose of this framework is to help policymakers and managers make decisions about SMIs targeted to the 4 chronic diseases when more than two options are available. EtD frameworks can inform on the pros and cons of each intervention, ensure the criteria that determines a decision are being considered, help to structure discussion and form the bases for decisions transparent to those affected by a policy decision. Ad hoc panels have constituted teams to formulate recommendations for each condition using the EtD frameworks.

Patient Decision Aids

These tools are designed to help reach a shared decision between the healthcare professional and patient regarding SMIs that are tailored to patient preferences regarding specific outcomes or intervention characteristics.

Results from network meta-analysis, cost-effectiveness and contextual factors

Specific results derived from the network meta-analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, and interactive report of contextual factors influencing the implementation of SMIs have also been integrated into the platform.

Repositories of RCTs, tools and interventions

This section is especially helpful for researchers and clinicians. It presents a catalogue of interventions classified by a taxonomy, a catalogue of self-management tools (composed mainly by PROMs and PREMs) to evaluate the relevant outcomes (COS), and a catalogue of randomized control trials that have analyzed SMIs.

Further information

Link to the press release: https://self-management.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/PressRelease_COMPAREU_platform.pdf

Link to the COMPAR-EU platform: https://platform.self-management.eu/

The COMPAR-EU project team invites you to join a workshop on Exploring market opportunities of self-management tools. It will take place on 19/05/22 – digital.

What do we want to explore with you?

• How decision tools could be embedded in the value chain and assess commercial issues surrounding market exploitation, such as competition and procurement procedures?
• How to market the decision tools to different stakeholder groups?
• What are the opportunities for implementation and what are the barriers to the use of self-management decision tools?

Attending the workshop, you will get an opportunity to:

• Learn about new innovations, self-management tools, and state-of-the-art research developed by the COMPAR-EU consortium
• Network and exchange knowledge with other companies working in the same field
• Be a part of the transformation of research results into the practice
• Start a new cooperation to implement self-management tools in real life

Please register here: WORKSHOP 19/05/22

We look forward to seeing you!

For more information, please contact Paula Zietzsch via e-mail contact@self-management.eu

Your COMPAR-EU Team

On 15 February 2022, the European Patients’ Forum published a new call for tender to produce attractive and accessible leaflet and video designs as part of its work in the COMPAR-EU project.

COMPAR-EU is a Horizon 2020 project aiming to identify, compare, and rank the most effective and cost-effective self-management interventions in four chronic conditions. In this project, EPF leads the workstream that aims to identify what outcomes are most important to patients, and ensure that their views, gender, and socioeconomic dimensions are taken into account.

As part of this work, EPF has developed lay summaries and leaflets to adapt the technical reports of the project into language that is accessible for lay-users including patients, but also the wider public. These materials – the leaflets and videos – must also be visually appealing in a way that facilitates their readability.

Does this sound like it is within your expertise, or the expertise of someone you have worked with?

Applications must be sent in by 11 March 2022, 23:59.
Further details at this link: https://bit.ly/3LzLKKe

Dear readers and friends,

since the summer holiday period, when we were all able to enjoy the sunshine and recharge our batteries, we have made a lot of new advances in our work packages. This year, we could also meet and discuss the progress and challenges in person at the consortium meeting in Hamburg. In this newsletter you can find updates about our work: how we have involved patients in the co-design of the COMPAR-EU platform, how we are working on interpreting the effectiveness of self-management interventions and how we estimated the costs of these interventions. In terms of platform development, we are starting to integrate a part of generated evidence and work on design of other key sections synthesizing research outcomes. The platform will also include decision-making tools tailored for different end users and relevant stakeholders, and we are excited to report on the progress in developing these tools. Furthermore, we would like to put a spotlight on the new initiative, called “Self-Management Europe” that published already two “Alerts” about practical recommendations to enhance self-management and patient empowerment in practice. The initiative could complement the work done in COMPAR-EU beyond the project.

Please enjoy reading our newsletter and learn more about the COMPAR-EU project progress. We wish you a healthy, fun-filled and stress-free holiday season in advance.

Your COMPAR-EU team

Read the full newsletter here.

A lay summary is a brief summary of a research project that is used to explain complex ideas and technical and scientific terms to people who do not have prior knowledge about the subject. They are important not only for patients but also for lay persons and non-specialist medical professionals.

The first four lay summaries are now published! Read more here:

This year, we were finally able to meet in person again. Our consortium meeting took place from October 22 to 23 in Hamburg and was hosted by OptiMedis. We focussed on the results of the network meta-analysis, the COMPAR-EU platform and much more. Consortium meetings are very important for us, as they promote interactive group discussion and drive our work forward.

                      

Welcome to the second issue of the Alert of Self-Management Europe. These Alerts aim to contribute to greater awareness and accessibility of self-management support in patients, especially in those living with a chronic condition. The Alerts address healthcare professionals, managers and other stakeholders looking for practical recommendations how to implement practices that enhance self-management and patient empowerment.

Read the full alert here.

This is a publication by Self-management Europe. The European Research and Innovation Centre on patient empowerment and self-management, called “Self-management Europe”, is a not-for-profit partnership of organisations working on patient empowerment and self-management with a special focus on chronic diseases. Find out more  here.

We are happy to inform you that we will present two Poster Presentations at the GIN Conference 2021.

The 16th GIN conference will take place virtually from 25 to 27 October.

The theme for 2021 will be: Future Forward: Relevant, implementable and sustainable guidelines.

Our contributions:

1. Development and user-testing of patient decision aids for self-management interventions for four chronic conditions: COMPAR-EU project.
   Presenting Author: Claudia Valli
2. Selection process of the most promising self-management interventions for four chronic conditions: a GRADE based approach using network meta-analysis.
   Presenting Author: Jessica Beltran

Registration for GIN 2021 is now open!

For more information, click here.