Act Now – A training program development for healthcare professionals to use the principles of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to facilitate patient adjustment to the challenges of living with a visible difference Erasmus Project

Project Title

Act Now – A training program development for healthcare professionals to use the principles of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to facilitate patient adjustment to the challenges of living with a visible difference

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Health and wellbeing; Social dialogue; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

In Europe it is estimated that approximately 12 million individuals have a disfigurement that results in body image dissatisfaction (BID), which is recognised as a global public health concern. Healthcare professionals (HP) across Europe commonly report caring for patients who have BID as a result of a disfiguring condition. There are many causes of disfigurement, including craniofacial conditions (e.g. cleft lip and/or palate), injury (e.g. burns and combat-related injuries), skin conditions (e.g. psoriasis) and medical treatment (e.g. following cancer or meningitis). Given their high level of contact with patients with disfiguring conditions, HP are well placed and motivated to positively address patients’ BID, but many lack knowledge and confidence to do so. Research shows that giving HP simple training and access to specialist resources enables HP to take on this role.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers a psychological model well suited to the needs of patients with a disfiguring condition. ACT focuses on helping patients to lead fulfilling lives and teaching them skills to manage difficult thoughts and feelings, which enhances their quality of life.

The objectives of this project were to (i) develop, (ii) test (iii) implement and (iv) disseminate a training package for Health Professionals (HP), enabling them to use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) principles to facilitate patient adjustment to a disfiguring condition. A further objective was to produce a functional training programme, reflective of the sociocultural diversity across Europe. A needs analysis of each partners’ healthcare setting was carried out. The project managed to make the training material accessible to a broad range of HP and will continue to do so through multi-mode delivery.

A highly experienced research team (United Kingdom, Sweden) and a knowledge mobilisation partner with extensive VET experience (Norway), along with Health Care providers (Estonia, Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia, Romania) and NGO (Netherlands) collaborated to complete the project. These partners have been selected to provide the necessary expertise and experience of the project’s educational remit, and to target HP from Estonia, Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia and Romania, in order to implement the training into service provision.

Project methodology and activities comprised:
1. A functional and evaluated training material that was based upon research evidence and the needs analysis from the target recipient nations.
2. The training which promptly created an impact through high quality work-based VET by addressing the need to create tools on how to address the patients with body image dissatisfaction (BID) as a result of disfiguring conditions
3. Health care organisations became able to access this open resource material and provided continuing education and training (CVET) to HP to enhance their clinical skills.
4. In line with the European Commission’s priorities, the project contributed to a more sustainable health care system that safeguards access to affordable, preventive and curative health care of good quality.
5. The training proved to be economically viable to implement and at the same time able to reach a large group of members of healthcare staff, students or NGO’s, as it is short and concrete.
In the long-term, the training package together with its implementation plan will be updated and adapted for other partners’ operational directives. The project’s key products (project outline, reports, didactic guidelines, extracts from the training pack) will remain freely available online for a minimum of 5 years after funding, allowing longer-term access for HP and healthcare stakeholders. It is anticipated that the transnational networks and relationships formed through this project will also lead to new training initiatives and projects across Europe.

The project resulted in raising a European awareness of these aspects, which adheres to the established priorities of the European commission (European Commission Communication ‘European Disability Strategy 2010-2020: A Renewed Commitment to a Barrier-Free Europe’, November 2010; European Commission Communication ‘The European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion’, December 2010).

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 197867,59 Eur

Project Coordinator

GENIKO NOSOKOMEIO PAPAGEORGIOU & Country: EL

Project Partners

• UNIVERZITETNI KLINICNI CENTER LJUBLJANA
• TARTU ULIKOOL
• European Cleft Organisation
• HOEGSKOLAN KRISTIANSTAD
• UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND, BRISTOL
• NEAPOLIS UNIVERSITY
• Triskelion- Forening for anvendt forskning og kunnskapsmobilisering