First EFIC® Symposium Societal Impact of Pain - SIP

Sergi Blancafort
Sergi Blancafort
Training Manager at the University of Patients.
Josep Laporte Foundation Autonomous University
of Barcelona, sergi.blancafort@uab.es
Degree in Biology at the University of Barcelona
(1997). He is currently finishing his doctoral
thesis in Sociology at the Autonomous University
of Barcelona. He has also completed postgraduate
courses in non-profit organization
management and training management.
He worked for seven years in clinical research
(1997-2004). Since 2004 he has been the
training manager at the Josep Laporte Foundation
at the Autonomous University of
Barcelona. Between 2004 and 2007 he was
the director of the Spanish Patients’ Forum.
He has been involved in several national and
international projects related with public health
and clinical practice guidelines. He has published
several articles and given several presentations
on different topics related with patients’
organizations advocacy and training
programs in self-management. He has completed
the certification as Master Trainer of
the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program
at Stanford University (US).
Benefits of self-management programs
Health systems are facing deep social changes,
such as the rise of a new model of patient and
a transition of the patient-health professional
relationship towards a new deliberative model.
Health administrations and institutions are promoting
the joint responsibility of patients and
users in self care, as well as an adequate use
of health services and resources.
The lack of health literacy is a common fact in
developed countries, and it makes it difficult
for patients and users to get involved in health
decisions. However, there are few studies that
have quantified and measured the prevalence
and costs of low health literacy, particularly in
Europe, as well as the effect of low literacy on
the creation of inequalities in access to health
care, particularly within vulnerable population
groups such as the elderly, the disabled, lowincome
people, and those who are at risk of
social exclusion.
Self-management programs have shown benefits
related to chronic patients’ health and
daily life (managing symptoms of disease, acquisition
of healthy life-styles, quality of life improvement,
communication with health professionals),
as well as benefits related with health
services and resources (better adherence to
treatments, less visits to primary care and hospitals,
shorter stays in hospitals).
The University of Patients (UP) is an academic
project promoted by Josep Laporte Foundation
and the University Autonomous of Barcelona
(UAB) in order to carry out training and research
activities, and provide access to highquality
health information to patients and users.
Training programs of the UP are aimed at promoting
responsiveness and self-care of chronic
diseases, at achieving the necessary skills to
talk and interact with health professionals, and
at helping patients, relatives and carers to
navigate through the health system.
Patients and users’ health, welfare and quality
of life depend on healthcare, but also on their
knowledge and skills related to the self-management
of disease. Accordingly, people affected
with chronic diseases are mainly responsible
for the management of their health,
and trained patients can help other patients
to manage their chronic disease.
Health literacy and training programs in selfmanagement
of chronic diseases can become
an essential part of the social capital of a population,
can help reduce health inequalities and
can be one of the most important contributions
to the modernisation of health systems.
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