European researchers are at the forefront of many of the most significant scientific discoveries.

The challenge for the future of European healthcare is how best to translate this knowledge and expertise into personalised medicine approaches that improve outcomes and enhance well-being for patients.

To support this process, the European Alliance for Personalised Medicine (EAPM) Working Group on Education & Training of Healthcare Professionals, which is chaired by the European Haematology Association, is launching a survey of healthcare professionals to identify their needs.

Please have your opinions heard by clicking on this link and sparing a few minutes to complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RFG7YYK

An increased knowledge and understanding of personalised medicine and its potential among healthcare professionals is key to its future integration into European health systems.

The true potential of personalised medicine will never be fully realised unless the front-line clinicians have the knowledge and understanding to exploit it.

The issue of education of healthcare professionals is a major one.

It is clear that a great degree of up-skilling is already required and, to keep pace with the science, this must be ongoing.

The European Commission’s agenda now includes a Joint Action on Health Workforce and Planning.

This Joint Action not only addresses the future capacity of the health workforce but also aims to modernise its skills and capabilities.

The EAPM has gone further, by calling for action at EU level, saying: “By 2020, the EU should support the development of a Europe-wide education and training of health care professionals’ curriculum for the personalised medicine era, by committing to this in 2015.”

The EU should subsequently facilitate the development of an 'Education and Training Strategy for healthcare professionals in Personalised Medicine.'

In order to increase personalised medicine literacy, it is necessary first to determine the current state of understanding and knowledge gaps amongst European healthcare professionals.

Along with its stakeholders, EAPM has developed a two-step strategy to measure the current level of personalised medicine literacy.

This process began under the Italian Presidency of the EU last year and will underpin a collaborative approach to increase the knowledge base and appreciation of the key benefits and challenges of personalised medicine.

The first step in this process is the evaluation of current levels of personalised medicine literacy with a focus group of stakeholders that will include learners which are divided into the following categories:

Junior: For clinicians with a PhD or equivalent research experience who wish to consolidate their research training
Intermediate: 1 – 4 years of (postdoctoral) experience
Senior: ≥ 4 years of (postdoctoral) experience.
The survey will remain completely anonymous.

The second step will be the evaluation of current levels of personalised medicine literacy through a quantitative structured series of questions that will be the subject of a voting poll.

The results garnered from this poll will be analysed and prepared for scientific publication and will inform the development of a personalised medicine education strategy going forward, leading to the production of an educational toolkit that enhances knowledge and contributes to the embedding of personalised medicine into European health systems.

Please click here to take part in the survey

Source: EAPM