Health literacy
EHDS: Boosting digital literacy crucial for success of EU health data plan
Est. 5minWith almost half of Europeans lacking digital skills, there is an urgent need to boost digital literacy if the European Health Data Space (EHDS), set to be launched in 2025, is to be a success.
Funding, e-literacy are needed for moving towards e-health
Est. 5minDigital education, encouraging collaboration and financial support to connect rural areas are among the actions still needed for rural areas to benefit from digital health opportunities.
Pandemic could have far reaching effects on bone health, expert warns
Est. 4minThe COVID pandemic may have far-reaching consequences on bone health, due to a combination of lack of physical activity and late diagnosis, according to Jane Barratt, secretary general of the international federation of ageing.
Decolonising the curriculum: tackling systemic ‘life-threatening’ racism in medicine
Est. 4minMedical curriculums should be reformed if we want to eliminate systemic racial bias, according to students and teachers at the University of Bristol, who stressed that medical education should explore and reflect upon unconscious biases and how these may impact clinical judgement.
Poor investment in digitising health hit Europe back with COVID-19
Est. 4minThe COVID-19 pandemic has reminded Europe that its piecemeal approach to investing in the digitisation of health systems comes at a cost, but not all countries and policymakers have yet learned the lesson, the chairman of the European Connected Health Alliance told EURACTIV.
Number of bleach-related incidents up in Belgium due to COVID-19 fears
Est. 4minBelgium’s Poison Control Centre has recorded an increase of 15% in the number of calls it receives since the COVID-19 outbreak in mid-March, as people have increasingly started experimenting with hazardous substances. “The consequences of the coronavirus crisis are making themselves …
Whole grain diet can slash risk of cardiovascular disease, says researchers
Est. 5minIncreasing the daily intake of whole grains to 30-40g reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by up to 20%, EURACTIV.com heard at a recent event to mark the first International Whole Grain Day.
EU health sector ‘up to a decade’ behind others for digitalisation, Commission says
Est. 4minThe EU health sector is in the middle of a defining moment but the sector is “up to a decade” behind other sectors in terms of digitalisation, Deputy Director-General for Health and Food Safety Martin Seychell told EURACTIV.com.
New EU Commission should take on rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases
Est. 6minThe new European Commission should tackle "head-on" rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, the president of the European League Against Rheumatism (Eular) told EURACTIV in an interview, referring to chronic diseases that affect one-quarter of all Europeans, creating healthcare and social security costs.
Center-right MEPs call for special EU Parliament committee on cancer
Est. 6minThe European People’s Party (EPP), the biggest political group in the EU assembly, will ask for the creation of a special parliamentary committee to help formulate a new EU-wide plan to combat cancer. EURACTIV.com and EURACTIV.cz report from Strasbourg.
EU pharma stakeholders take action to tackle fake medicines
Est. 5minA number of pharma stakeholders announced on 9 February the official launch of the European Medicines Verification System (EMVS), which will make use of new technologies to improve safety in the medicines’ supply chain against fake products.
Disparities remain on how to tackle lung cancer in Europe, report says
Est. 7minEnhanced prevention measures, especially against tobacco and electronic cigarettes, combined with access to innovative treatments can help tackle rising lung cancer cases in Europe, a new study funded by the industry has found.
Romanian health minister: Prevention and innovative drugs to kill cancer
Est. 5minIn order to face the rising cancer incidence across Europe, governments should prioritise prevention policies, as well as access to innovative medicines under an EU-wide plan, Romanian Health Minister Sorina Pintea told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Will the EU take care of our bones?
Est. 6minIn the next legislative term, EU policymakers will be called upon to tackle the risk factors of osteoporosis, a skeletal disorder which has never earned enough attention and is expected to take epidemic proportions in the decades to come, writes Andrea Giustina.
Expert: Life-course immunisation will save costs and lives
Est. 6minThe adoption of a life-course immunisation approach in the EU will have significant multi-level effects, ranging from a healthier population to savings in healthcare budgets, Professor Daphné Holt told EURACTIV.com.
Estonia and Finland first to start exchanging healthcare data by end of year
Est. 5minEstonia and Finland will start exchanging digital prescriptions at the end of the year, in a groundbreaking move that Estonian Health Minister Riina Sikkut said she hoped other EU countries will follow.
Navracsics: EU call for healthier lifestyle is progressing, but more efforts are needed
Est. 4minThe European Commission launched the Tartu Call for a Healthy Lifestyle a year ago, mostly to address rising obesity in the EU and promote physical activity, and it has already produced “concrete results”, Tibor Navracsics, the commissioner for education, culture, youth and sport, told EURACTIV.com.
Cancer biomarkers in the era of personalised medicine
Cancer biomarkers are molecules that can be detected in bodily fluids or tissues. Cancer biomarkers can identify people who have cancer or who are at risk of getting cancer.
EU health chief: Time for scientists to be heard under new vaccination proposals
Est. 4minWith the European Commission’s new vaccination proposals, scientists have a good opportunity to join forces and use IT tools to explain their scientific opinions to people, EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
How patient groups could help tackle ‘fake news’ on vaccination
Est. 5minPatient groups play a crucial role in providing the right information and thus tackling fake news on vaccination, according to experts, who say this is increasingly necessary to restore confidence in this field.
WHO urged to end ‘ineffective’ tobacco plain packaging
Est. 4minThe removal of brands from packaging is a "gross violation" of intellectual property rights and has failed to achieve its intended goals, the Property Rights Alliance argues in a letter to the World Health Organisation.
‘Responsible Party’ campaign tries to rekindle EU alcohol debate
Est. 6minIt takes willingness from all sides in order to make the EU's Alcohol and Health Forum (EAHF) effective, a European Commission official has said, urging businesses and health NGOs to return to the discussion table.
Commission reassures ‘worried’ member states on Health Technology Assessment
Est. 5minThe Commission’s upcoming proposal on Health Technology Assessment (HTA) will focus on clinical aspects and leave member states to decide on economic or ethical parts, a European Commission spokesperson told EURACTIV.com.
COPD is on the European Commission’s agenda, EU health chief says
Est. 5minDiagnosis tools like spirometry should be promoted in order to monitor lung systems and prevent the spreading of illness like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the second cause of death worldwide, the EU's Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis told EURACTIV.com.