Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders: Training of Healthcare Professionals Erasmus Project

Project Title

Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders: Training of Healthcare Professionals

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Health and wellbeing; Open and distance learning

Project Summary

Despite commendable progress in the prevention, detection, and treatment of a wide variety of solid tumour types, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains a significant health burden across the globe. OSCC is often first diagnosed at the late stages of the disease (advanced regional disease and/or metastasis). Delayed diagnosis precludes successful treatment and favorable outcomes. In clinical practice, opportunities exist to identify patients with oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs), which precede the development of cancer. Though multiple forms of information are available, the majority focus on diagnosis and use old guidance, with little reference to management of the conditions. Consequently, by carrying out an e-learning project on a transnational basis, we will embrace the different realities, in terms of how the management of OPMDs are conducted by healthcare professionals, in different countries, for the benefit of European citizens.

E-learning allows the use of new educational media, providing healthcare professionals with the ability to search and select information, organizing their time efficiently (Bogacki et al 2004). There are five partners in this project, consisting of universities, non-profit organisations. These partners recognize the importance of strong links between higher education, the policy community and school practitioners. They will work together through planned regular communications and activities such as project meetings, seminars and workshops with policy makers and practitioners. They will conduct conferences in each partner’s country to jointly develop and deliver a range of training resources.
Consequently, we aim:
– To provide an e-learning tool about Oral Medicine for healthcare professionals, embracing the recognition, investigation, diagnosis and management of patients presenting with OPMDs. This will be accessible to European Union healthcare professionals and translated into several languages (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Croatian and Spanish).
– To strengthen the ties among European Union educational and professional health institutions by sharing best practices about PMD
– To increase professionals’ skills and improve their personal portfolios, whilst taking into account the language/content differences between the countries’ education systems.

Overall, the e-learning resource for OPMDs and their management will be organised into several modules, designed to be used by healthcare professionals such as dentists and doctors. It will be managed through a collaborative methodology enabling open communication, clear roles and responsibilities and ensuring pre-cancer conditions are central to the work focus. It will be freely available online and translated into several languages. By promoting the content of the e-learning program we believe a high number of healthcare professionals will complete it. Promotion will be in the forms of posters, Facebook, Twitter, eBook, articles and communication meetings.

Through an interactive developmental approach, involving feedback from training deliverers and other stakeholders, we will ensure that all content is clear, accessible and relevant to the local educational context and practitioners in partner countries. We anticipate positive and long lasting effects on participant organisations and policy systems as well as on the individuals directly or indirectly involved in this project. It will result in a sustainable model of good practice, in the management of these conditions and builds upon local, national and international knowledge, skills and experience.
In conclusion, this pioneering EU guidance, which focuses on the management of OPMDs, will have a positive economic and healthcare impact upon the EU countries and decrease the mortality and morbidity rate among EU citizens.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 220710 Eur

Project Coordinator

KING’S COLLEGE LONDON & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Cooperativa de Ensino Superior Politécnico e Universitário, CRL. (CESPU)
• SVEUCILISTE U ZAGREBU
• UNIVERSITE DE BORDEAUX
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO
• UNIVERSIDAD DE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA