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The purpose of this paper is to indicate a framework for exploiting the potential role of assistive technology (AT) in supporting care and participation of people with disabilities and elderly people through appropriate service delivery systems (SDS). The paper is based on the findings of the AAATE/EASTIN workshop "Service Delivery Systems on Assistive Technology in Europe" (held in Copenhagen on May 21-22, 2012, under the patronage of the Danish EU Presidency), on the roadmaps indicated by the previous HEART Study published in 1995 by the European Commission, and on a consensus process within the Board of the AAATE (Association for Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe) and the EASTIN Association (European Assistive Technology Information Network). The first chapter Background) discusses the reasons why a position paper on this issue was deemed useful; it also summarises the key themes of the Copenhagen workshop and recalls the HEART Study. The second chapter (The scope of an AT SDS), discusses the concept of assistive solutions - intended as individualised interventions providing users with appropriate environmental facilitators (AT products, personalised environmental modifications, personal assistance) to overcome disability and enable participation in all aspects of life - and the mission of a SDS - ensuring that all people with disabilities can access appropriate assistive solutions that are able to support autonomy in their life environment. The paper also points out that AT service delivery policies should be well coordinated with accessibility policies i.e. those related to infrastructural interventions ensuring that the mainstream environment, products and services are usable by all people, including those with reduced function or who depend on assistive technology. The third chapter (Basic features of an AT SDS) discusses why public SDS are needed for AT, what the main AT SDS models are, and how a SDS process can be described and monitored in terms of quality. The discussion is organised into answers to eight recurring questions: 1) Are assistive technology products going to disappear in the future, due to the embodiment of accessibility features in mainstream products; 2) Why shouldn't assistive technology products be dealt with as common consumer goods, purchased directly by users without the intermediation of service delivery systems; 3) Are there different approaches for AT service delivery; 4) When can a medical model, or a social model, or a consumer model be considered appropriate; 5) Independently of the model and the Country or Region, is it possible to identify common steps in the service delivery process; 6) How does each step influence the costs and the outcomes of the whole process; 7) How can the SDS process be monitored by quality indicators; and 8) How can information support the service delivery process. The last chapter (Some recommendations) provides a number of useful recommendations for those who are engaged in the design, development and implementation of AT SDS policies. The recommendations are clustered round the six SDS quality indicators suggested by the HEART Study: Accessibility, Competence, Coordination, Efficiency, Flexibility, User Influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Design for All or Universal Design is a relatively new domain in Ergonomics. With globally ageing populations, it has however recently gained significant interest. OBJECTIVE: This position paper summarizes the outcomes of a workshop held at the virtual 21st Triennial Congress of the International Ergonomics Association. The paper expands the horizon of traditional Ergonomics into a domain where people are differently abled and establishes a platform for the essential needs of future ergonomic standards which are required to inform inclusive design guidelines, or Design for All, extending the range of users. METHODS: The paper includes contributions from Asian, Australian, European and US workshop participants who are accessibility design experts in their respective geographic regions. The paper summarizes issues related to anthropometry in the Design for All, based on recent work in the US (Access board) and actual developments in various national and international accessibility standardization bodies, such as the Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand, the European Standardization Organization (EN 17210:2021; EN 17161:2019) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 21542:2021 and BS ISO 7176-5:2008). CONCLUSIONS: The paper concludes that despite the identification of a significant gap in knowledge of the anthropometry of people with disabilities as far back as 1990, work towards bridging the gap and enabling ergonomic standardization has not progressed since then globally. The lack of standardization in anthropometric data on people with a physical disability continues to complicate provision of data for mobility and accessibility design and hampers accessibility standardization efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been concerns about the decline of health promotion as a practice and discipline and, alongside this, calls for a clearer articulation of health promotion research and what, if anything, makes it distinct. This discussion paper, based on a review of the literature, the authors’ own experiences in the field, and a workshop delivered by two of the authors at the 8th Nordic Health Promotion Conference, seeks to state the reasons why health promotion research is distinctive. While by no means exhaustive, the paper suggests four distinctive features. The paper hopes to be a catalyst to enable health promotion researchers to be explicit in their practice and to begin the process of developing an agreed set of research principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the workshop regarding the relations between Europe and North Africa held at the University of Liverpool in London, England on May 22, 2006. According to the author, the first session of the workshop focused on four papers related tro the policy of the European Union (EU) towards the Mediterranean. Authors of papers discussed during the workshop include Brieg Powel of the University of Exeter and Alex Balch of the University of Liverpool.

Abstract: This paper explores practical and ethical dilemmas for professionals when securing the protection of children in the complex non‐clinical setting of individual families. It is based on a cross‐country study on cultural encounters in interventions against child physical abuse and neglect in four countries (England/Wales, Germany, Portugal, and Slovenia). Drawing on national reports of legal‐organizational frameworks and socio‐cultural backgrounds of European child protection systems, it also presents the results of a series of focus groups with professionals. Data were analysed to identify implicit and explicit discursive constructions as well as normative representations and from this deriving the key ethical issues and dilemmas. Despite a shared normative framework across Europe, intervention cultures vary across the four countries and between the different stakeholder groups. Although each child protection system faced widespread mistrust, policy approaches differ, some relying on strong and detailed guidance whereas others stress professional skill and judgement. We conclude that despite a shared commitment to the protection of children, deliberations and perceived ethical dilemmas suggest interdependency between differences in system cultures and policy approaches that inform the character of professional interventions in the four countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented in which author discusses commonalities in the work of the social professions in Europe. Topics discussed include development scheme of social work; talks about works of several organization in building knowledge for profession in European social work; and mention about contribution of editorial board members to lead the journal.

The research field of crisis informatics examines, amongst others, the potentials and barriers of social media use during conflicts and crises. Social media allow emergency services to reach the public easily in the context of crisis communication and receive valuable information (e.g. pictures) from social media data. However, the vast amount of data generated during large-scale incidents can lead to issues of information overload and quality. To mitigate these issues, this paper proposes the semi-automatic creation of alerts including keyword, relevance and information quality filters based on cross-platform social media data. We conducted empirical studies and workshops with emergency services across Europe to raise requirements, then iteratively designed and implemented an approach to support emergency services, and performed multiple evaluations, including live demonstrations and field trials, to research the potentials of social media-based alerts. Finally, we present the findings and implications based on semi-structured interviews with emergency services, highlighting the need for usable configurability and white-box algorithm representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Empirical knowledge around palliative care provision and needs of people with intellectual disabilities is extremely limited, as is the availability of research resources, including expertise and funding. This paper describes a consultation process that sought to develop an agenda for research priorities for palliative care of people with intellectual disabilities in Europe. Methods: A two-day workshop was convened, attended by 16 academics and clinicians in the field of palliative care and intellectual disability from six European countries. The first day consisted of round-table presentations and discussions about the current state of the art, research challenges and knowledge gaps. The second day was focused on developing consensus research priorities with 12 of the workshop participants using nominal group technique, a structured method which involved generating a list of research priorities and ranking them in order of importance. Results: A total of 40 research priorities were proposed and collapsed into eleven research themes. The four most important research themes were: investigating issues around end of life decision making; mapping the scale and scope of the issue; investigating the quality of palliative care for people with intellectual disabilities, including the challenges in achieving best practice; and developing outcome measures and instruments for palliative care of people with intellectual disabilities. Conclusions: The proposal of four major priority areas and a range of minor themes for future research in intellectual disability, death, dying and palliative care will help researchers to focus limited resources and research expertise on areas where it is most needed and support the building of collaborations. The next steps are to cross-validate these research priorities with people with intellectual disabilities, carers, clinicians, researchers and other stakeholders across Europe; to validate them with local and national policy makers to determine how they could best be incorporated in policy and programmes; and to translate them into actual research studies by setting up European collaborations for specific studies that require such collaboration, develop research proposals and attract research funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research capacity enhancement is needed in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) for improved health, wellbeing, and health systems' development. In this article, we discuss two capacity-building projects, the African/Asian Regional Capacity Development (ARCADE) in Health Systems and Services Research (HSSR) and Research on Social Determinants of Health (RSDH), implemented from 2011 to 2015. The two projects focussed on providing courses in HSSR and social determinants of health research, and on developing collaborations between universities, along with capacity in LMIC universities to manage research grant submissions, financing, and reporting. Both face-to-face and sustainable online teaching and learning resources were used in training at higher postgraduate levels (Masters and Doctoral level). Design: We collated project meeting and discussion minutes along with project periodic reports and deliverables. We extracted key outcomes from these, reflected on these in discussions, and summarised them for this paper. Results: Nearly 55 courses and modules were developed that were delivered to over 920 postgraduate students in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Junior researchers were mentored in presenting, developing, and delivering courses, and in preparing research proposals. In total, 60 collaborative funding proposals were prepared. The consortia also developed institutional capacity in research dissemination and grants management through webinars and workshops. Discussion: ARCADE HSSR and ARCADE RSDH were comprehensive programmes, focussing on developing the research skills, knowledge, and capabilities of junior researchers. One of the main strengths of these programmes was the focus on network building amongst the partner institutions, where each partner brought skills, expertise, and diverse work cultures into the consortium. Through these efforts, the projects improved both the capacity of junior researchers and the research environment in Africa, Asia, and Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Before the COVID-19 pandemic, a need for a uniform approach to health information (HI) knowledge in population health analysis across Europe was evident. The Population Health Information Research Infrastructure (PHIRI) emerged as a proactive initiative to strengthen European HI capacities. This article describes the achievements of PHIRI, highlighting its capacity-building activities and their contribution towards a sustainable strategy for the implementation of the European Health Data Space (EHDS). Methods PHIRI collaboration established a work package for skill-building activities in population health in partnership with other organizations. Activities included webinars, workshops, sessions, training schools and courses for researchers and public administration workers from Europe and beyond. The primary goal of the activities was to examine the impact of COVID-19 on European health systems at both local and national levels, including healthcare facilities and policymaking entities. Results Twelve activities were organized between October 2020 and the summer of 2023. In March 2023, the Spring School on Health Information was organized to share the knowledge achieved from PHIRI and other European Union-related projects. This event also validated the European Health Information Training Programme. Conclusions PHIRI's findings emphasized the importance of equipping the workforce with core HI skills to improve health systems' preparedness and resilience. Through this research, it is possible to propose a strategy for building capacity that emphasizes the importance of providing training in human-machine dynamics. This approach will contribute to the sustainable implementation of the EHDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This paper introduces the study on the European Union Project on complementary therapies and discusses project outputs and results. The goal of the European Union Project was to improve the professional knowledge and skills of women's health and oncology nurses regarding CT. Background: The increasing and widespread use of complementary therapies in the women's health and oncology population requires nurses to be educated about their suitable and safe use. Many nurses do not have proper training in complementary therapies and therefore should not inform their patients about them. Methods: The 'Improving the Nursing Care with Best Complementary Therapy Strategies Based on European Union Standards' (BestCARE) project was a strategic partnership within Erasmus plus for vocational education and training. The BestCARE project was coordinated by the Akdeniz University Nursing Faculty and was carried out with six partners from Turkey and Europe. Results: Fifteen nurses from Turkey and Italy were trained in complementary therapies in England. In addition, training courses and seminars were held in Turkey and Italy for women's health and oncology nurses. The BestCARE programme consisted of 14 work packages. The BestCARE programme was implemented via websites, an e‐learning training programme, training videos, reference and handbook, a curriculum proposal on complementary therapies and a simulation laboratory. Conclusion and implications for nursing and/or health policy: The BestCARE project allowed nurses to gain knowledge, experience and skills about complementary therapies and created a cultural awareness and sensitivity towards patients, caregivers and health professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Interprofessional continuing education (IPCE) health care educators must plan activities as members of interprofessional teams and deliver activities to an interprofessional audience. Evidence in the literature suggests they are not well prepared to meet this challenge. This paper reviews one strategy to improve the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and practices of IPCE educators. Methods: Seven faculty development workshops were conducted within the USA, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Approximately 250 learners participated in the workshops in total, with 107 in an IRB-approved research study. Results: From the research cohorts demonstrated improved knowledge and skills over a 12-month period. Knowledge and skills scores increased most significantly from baseline to 3 months and remained above baseline at 6-12 months. The workshop was not an effective strategy to improve attitudes towards IPCE, though attitude scores were already high prior to participating. Conclusions: All participants actively engaged in the workshops. There were no observed differences in engagement by geographic region, gender, age, or profession. Participants stated they were better able to understand the roles of other team members; perspectives of patients, families, and caregivers; and their own roles on clinical teams. Participants described gaining a new appreciation for the complexity of designing IPCE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer screening rates among immigrant and refugee populations in high income countries is significantly lower than native born populations. The objective of this study is to systematically review the effectiveness of interventions to improve screening adherence for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer among Somali immigrants. A literature search was conducted for the years 2000–2021 and eight studies met eligibility criteria. The following intervention components were found to increase adherence to cervical cancer screening: home HPV test, educational workshop for women and education for general practitioners. A patient navigator intervention was found to increase screening for breast cancer. Educational workshops motivated or increased knowledge regarding cancer screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer. However, most of the studies had limitations due to methodology with potential for introduction of bias. Therefore, future studies comparing effectiveness of specific intervention components to reduce disparities in cancer screening among Somali immigrants and refugees are encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The law on nutrition and, especially, health claims on food is complex and evolving. There is a widely felt need for guidance and dialogue between stakeholders. A well-attended seminar was organised in September 2016 that brought together regulators, enforcement practitioners and the trade and appeared to go some way to addressing this need. It was generally agreed that several next steps are desirable: to run the seminar again ( e.g. in the north of England); to develop a multiple stakeholder forum in order to arrive at correct interpretation and shorten the decision-making process in difficult cases; to introduce an 'improvement notice' option for UK implementation of Regulation 1924/2006; and to develop a checklist for use in examining labels and advertisements. This paper offers an illustration of how this might be commenced; readers are invited to comment. More guidance on priorities and analytical methods is needed for food and food supplements for which health claims are made. The US and European Union regulatory and enforcement attitudes to health claims have developed in quite different directions. With the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union, it will be interesting to see what challenges there are ahead for the protection of consumers and responsible businesses from food health fraud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on workshop of European task force on medication, related osteonecrosis of the jaw. Topics discussed include complication of anti‐resorptive (AR) treatment in patients with skeletal metastases due to various cancers as well as osteoporosis; controversies on risk factors related to the osteonecrosis of the jaw; and key statements and recommendations relevant to risk factors for Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ).

Public–private partnerships are subject to intense scrutiny. This is specifically the case for sensitive health-related topics such as alcohol consumption. The brewing sector and representatives of the scientific community therefore stressed the need for specific principles for the proper and transparent governance of research and other collaborations between the brewing sector and research entities. At a 1-day seminar, a group of scientists and representatives from the brewing and food sector reached a consensus for such principles. They adhere to the following four fundamental conditions: Freedom of research, Accessibility, Contextualisation and Transparency. The points of focus in the FACT principles are open science, meaning that the methods and results are made accessible and reusable, and relationships are clearly disclosed. Actions to be taken for dissemination and implementation of the FACT Principles are, for instance, publishing them on public websites, including them in formal research agreements, and citing them in scientific publications. Scientific journals and (research) societies are encouraged to support the FACT Principles. In conclusion, the FACT Principles provide a framework for increased transparency and control of funding-related bias in research and other collaborations between the brewing sector and research entities. Monitoring their use and evaluating their impact will help to further refine and enforce the FACT Principles in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several papers discussed at the workshop entitled "Youth in Motion: Spatialising Youth Movement in the Social Sciences" organized by the University College London (UCL) Youth Geographies Research Group held in June 16, 2011 is presented. Topics include disciplinary contexts, socio-economic structures, and collaborative forum for researchers. The workshop featured international audience with participants from institutions in France, Finland, and Italy.

Objective:Measuring quality of care through performance indicators and subsequently using these to compare, learn, and improve (benchmarking) has become a central component of health care policy. This paper aims to identify the main themes of health services research in this area and focuses on opportunities for improving the evidence underpinning performance indicators. Methods: A literature survey was carried out to identify research activities and main research themes in Europe in the years 2000-09. Identified literature was categorized into sub-topics and for each topic the main methodological issues were identified and discussed. Experts validated the findings and explored the potential for related further European research. Results: The distribution of research on performance and benchmarking across EU member states varies in time, scope and settings with a large amount of studies focusing on hospitals. Eight specific fields of research were identified (research on concepts and performance frameworks; performance indicators and benchmarking using mortality data; performance indicators and benchmarking related to cancer care; performance indicators and benchmarking on care delivered in hospitals; patient safety indicators; performance indicators in primary care; patient experience; research on the practice of benchmarking and performance improvement). Expert discussions confirmed that research on performance indicators and benchmarking should focus on the development of indicators, as well as their use. The research should involve the potential users and incorporate scientific approaches from biomedicine and epidemiology as well as the social sciences. Further progress is hampered by data availability. Issues which need to be addressed include the use of unique patient identifiers (UPIs) to facilitate linkages between separate databases; standardized measurement of the experiences of patients and others; and deepening collaboration between Eurostat, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to facilitate the availability of internationally comparable performance information. Conclusions: This study suggests a number of themes for future research. These include testing and improving: the validity and reliability of performance indicators, especially related to avoidable mortality and other outcome indicators; the effectiveness and efficiency of embedding performance indicators in the various governance, monitoring and management models, and their effect on health systems, services and professionals; and the effectiveness and efficiency of linking performance indicators to other national and international strategies and policies such as accreditation and certification, practice guidelines, audits, quality systems, patient safety strategies, national standards on volume and/or quality, public reporting, pay-for-performance and patient/consumer involvement. The field would benefit from strengthening the clearinghouse function for research findings, training of researchers and appropriate scientific publication media. Results should be systematically shared with policy-makers and managers, and networking stimulated between the growing number of regional and national institutes involved in quality measurement and reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to compare the different existing approaches to advance health care directives within the European context, and to explore the possibility of reaching a deeper consensus among countries on this subject. To this end, it first discusses the shortcomings of Article 9 of the Council of Europe's Biomedicine Convention. Second, it offers a comparative analysis of the legal status of advance directives in a number of European countries. Finally, it presents the conclusions of an international interdisciplinary workshop focused on this topic that was held in Zurich in June 2008. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/lca2006.04.019 Life cycle assessments have been performed using different methods before the name was coined since about 1970 in several countries of North America and Europe. It was the merit of SETAC to start a standardization process which culminated in the LCA-guidelines ('A code of practice') in 1993. It is the aim of this paper to trace back this and further LCA-related achievements by SETAC on the basis of documents and personal memories. It may be subjective in the selection and weighting of some events, but objectivity is strived for with regard to the whole and, in my view, singular development. Starting 1990 with two workshops in Smuggler's Notch (Vermont) and Leuven (Belgium), SETAC and SETAC Europe organized several workshops during which important topics (framework, impact assessment, data quality, etc.) were treated and published in the form of reports which are still available. The main contribution by CML and its head, Helias Udo de Haes, was a practical method of impact assessment, transforming the formerly more technocratic LCA (energy, resources, waste) into an instrument of environmental assessment of product systems. In addition, important contributions to the allocation problem were made. Starting in 1993, ISO took over the leadership in standardization and SETAC started the famous working groups in North America and Europe, often dealing with the same topics in parallel. Due to the different cultures, the results were frequently complimentary rather than harmonic. The CML-method of LCIA, widely accepted in Europe, had to wait for about 10 years to be accepted at the other side of the Atlantic. It was helpful that SETAC – meanwhile a global organization – looked for a partner in order to implement LCA all over the world. This partner was found in the 'United Nations Environmental Programme' (UNEP) and the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative was officially launched by Klaus Töpfer in Prague in April 2002. SETAC also assumed an important role in communicating LCA via publications: workshop and conference reports, the 'code of practice', working group results and LCA News Letters. The annual meetings offered forums for LCA scientists, practitioners and users, well prepared by the LCA Steering Committee (SETAC Europe) and the LCA Advisory Group (SETAC North America). . The main recommendation to SETAC is to adhere to LCA as the main environmental assessment tool for products and to expand it to a true sustainability assessment tool by adding Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and a still to be invented 'Social Life Cycle Assessment'. SETAC is to remain the scientific arm within the UNEP/SETAC LC Initiative, without loosing its identity. Working groups should be global rather than regional in the future, as suggested by the SETAC Europe LCA Steering Committee at the 2004 World Congress in Portland, Oregon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents abstracts of papers presented at workshops of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, as of November 2003. 'Diagnostic procedures in autoimmune bullous diseases,' by B.S. Bhogal; 'Diagnostic procedures in dermatitis herpetiformis and coeliac disease,' by S. Karpati; 'Dermatomyositis,' by C. Herrero.

Government communication is an important management tool during a public health crisis, but understanding its impact is difficult. Strategies may be adjusted in reaction to developments on the ground and it is challenging to evaluate the impact of communication separately from other crisis management activities. Agent-based modeling is a well-established research tool in social science to respond to similar challenges. However, there have been few such models in public health. We use the example of the TELL ME agent-based model to consider ways in which a non-predictive policy model can assist policy makers. This model concerns individuals’ protective behaviors in response to an epidemic, and the communication that influences such behavior. Drawing on findings from stakeholder workshops and the results of the model itself, we suggest such a model can be useful: (i) as a teaching tool, (ii) to test theory, and (iii) to inform data collection. We also plot a path for development of similar models that could assist with communication planning for epidemics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

At the second series of workshops for the EHC Think Tank Workstreams on Registries, Hub and Spoke Model and Patient Agency, stakeholder participants worked towards consensus on addressing challenges to progress in areas identified in the first series of workshops. Each workshop identified a 'guiding star' determining the direction of ongoing focus, defined achievable 'near star' milestones, and explored the enablers and 'constraints' to achieving these. The Registries Workstream recommended establishing rights- and responsibility-based international guidance to ensure accountability from all stakeholders contributing, collecting, handling and registry data. The Hub and Spoke Model Workstream proposed the development of a dynamic and agile health provision system to meet individual treatment, care and quality of life goals for people with rare disorders as they evolve. The Patient Agency Workstream recommended achieving a new cultural norm for patient agency embedded at all systemic levels, whereby health care is collaborative and based on patients' ability to make choices and take ownership of decisions relating to their care and quality of life. Four common themes emerged in near star milestones across all workstreams: 1. Mapping the system; 2. Collaborating and sharing; 3. Education and training; 4. Organisational change and good governance. Enablers include stakeholder experience in other specialties undergoing similar change; relevant examples of best practice; tapping into existing policy-making networks; adherence to government, regulatory, and inter-/intra-institutional quality standards; leveraging frustration in current systems to challenge mindsets and demonstrate the benefit of patient-centred insights to improve outcomes; and application of technologies (e.g. distributed analytics, algorithms, telemedicine, remote monitoring). Constraints include limited understanding of national and cross-border legal and regulatory requirements; a lack of awareness of and reluctance to accept the need for change or to take responsibility for making it happen, or a misunderstanding of whose responsibility it is; time limitations; a lack of meaningful outcome measures; a lack of understanding of key factors for success; and financial issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on the Fourth International Workshop for Young Scholars at the Faculty of Law and Political science, Paul Cezanne University Aix-Marseille III in Europe. The workshop is designed to offer participants an opportunity to present their best research work in a professional academic setting. It also provides a means by which their work can be published.

Background: Health inequalities have been consistently reported across and within European countries and continue to pose major challenges to policy-making. The development of scenarios regarding what could affect population health (PH) inequalities across Europe in the future is considered critical. Scenarios can help policy-makers prepare and better cope with fast evolving challenges. Objective: This paper describes the three 2030 time-horizon scenarios developed under the EURO-HEALTHY project, depicting the key factors that may affect the evolution of PH inequalities across European regions. Methods: A three-stage socio-technical approach was applied: i) identification of drivers (key factors expected to affect the evolution of PH inequalities across European regions until 2030) – this stage engaged in a Web-Delphi process a multidisciplinary panel of 51 experts and other stakeholders representing the different perspectives regarding PH inequalities; ii) generation of scenario structures – different drivers' configurations (i.e. their hypotheses for evolution) were organized into coherent scenario structures using the Extreme-World Method; and iii) validation of scenario structures and generation of scenario narratives. Stages ii) and iii) were conducted in two workshops with a strategic group of 13 experts with a wide view about PH inequalities. The scenario narratives were elaborated with the participants' insights from both the Web-Delphi process and the two workshops, together with the use of evidence (both current and future-oriented) on the different areas within the PH domain. Results: Three scenarios were developed for the evolution of PH inequalities in Europe until 2030: 'Failing Europe' (worst-case but plausible picture of the future), 'Sustainable Prosperity' (best-case but plausible picture of the future), and an interim scenario 'Being Stuck' depicting a 'to the best of our knowledge' evolution. These scenarios show the extent to which a combination of Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental drivers shape future health inequalities, providing information for European policy-makers to reflect upon whether and how to design robust policy solutions to tackle PH inequalities. Conclusions: The EURO-HEALTHY scenarios were designed to inform both policy design and appraisal. They broaden the scope, create awareness and generate insights regarding the evolution of PH inequalities across European regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In socio- and applied linguistic research, age tends to be accounted for as fixed, biographical information, and individuals in later life have rarely been considered more than marginally. In this paper, I attempt to address this oversight by presenting data from multilingual subjects over the age of 65 as they take part in a language and literacy course for senior citizens. I account for their age not as a fixed category or an index of deterioration, but as a reflection of ongoing processes of personal, social and historical dimensions that can be measured in terms of the lifespan, a concept prevalent in the field of social gerontology. Keeping in mind the core elements of what I propose as a lifespan perspective – timescales, life events, language ideologies and linguistic repertoires – I conduct discourse analysis on their metalinguistic conversations to illuminate the subjective and phenomenological factors that have shaped – and that continue to shape – their linguistic repertoires and the ideologies that inform the ways in which they make use of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper discusses the teaching of various short workshops in the Baltic States (as well as many others taught elsewhere) in the specific combination of interactivity and moving image. The workshops combine theoretical and practical approaches - a functional prototype of an 'interactive film' is produced by students - and have been run by the author in Tallinn, Tartu, Rīga, Liepāja and Vilnius from 2002 until the present day. Methods of teaching such workshops will be discussed with particular reference to whether off-the-shelf software or custom programming is involved - referred to here as 'Black-Box' and 'Bits&Bytes' approaches. Workshop outcomes will be compared and contrasted according firstly to the types of interactive films created by participants, and secondly between the results from workshops in the Baltic States and those taught elsewhere (by the author) in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines processes and outcomes arising from an illuminative evaluation of a Leonardo da Vinci-funded project designed to develop a transnational network in Europe for practitioners working with parents. The project aimed to share knowledge of and support the development of training, qualification and occupational standards in the sector. The scope for harmonisation of these across Europe or between individual countries was also under consideration. The intention was to establish this network through an international meeting, a new website, e-groups, personal contacts and conferences in each of the host nations. The project was successful in enabling information to be shared between the partners, in supporting individual partners to implement their own specific goals and in publicising the needs of the sector more widely. It was less successful in establishing common frameworks for practice in this area. Overall, partners showed a marked preference for personal contacts and the electronic forms of communication were little used. The reasons for this are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the Entrepreneurship Education and Research Network among the Universities of Central and Eastern Europe (ERENET). The association is claimed to have been aiming at creating a network of professionals and scientists from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), organizing entrepreneurship seminars and workshops, as well as launching various joint research projects. Furthermore, ERENET PROFIL, ERENET's online publication which is purported at enhancing local and regional understanding of the small and medium enterprise's (SME) offerings, was accordingly launched successfully.

Presents abstracts of studies on health indicators for people with learning disability in Europe presented at the 11th Annual Conference of the European Public Health Association in November 2003. "POMONA European health indicators for people with an intellectual disability," by P.N. Walsh; "Health indicators for people with an intellectual disability," by M.P. Kerr; "Integration of health indicators: The challenges," by M.P. Kerr.

Presents the abstract of the study "Beyond Bismarck and Beveridge: Towards a Research Agenda for Health Systems Research," by Diana Delnoij presented at the 11th Annual Conference of the European Public Health Association in November 2003.

A series of workshops designed to make up for the lack of high-level, informal discussion of European space policy has been running—with a gap during formulation of the EC Green/White Paper on this subject—since September 2002. In view of the progress made in establishing a coherent European strategy, and of various other recent events, such as China''s entry into the human spaceflight field, the organizers intend not only to continue the series but also to establish a more permanent, research-oriented European Space Policy Foundation (ESPF). Following a report on the proceedings of the third workshop, held in September 2003, which covered developing an overall European policy, new applications (Galileo and GMES) and human spaceflight, the authors set out a proposal for an ESPF and present the six major research themes it would aim to investigate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents an update on the Subcommittee on Occupational Allergy of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology, as of May 1998. Interdisciplinary involvement of the subcommittee in different fields of medicine and health; Position papers published by the subcommittee; Workshops organized by the subcommittee.

Background: A pan-European approach to evaluate policy impact on health behaviour requires the employment of a consensus set of established and relevant indicators. Methods: As part of the Joint Programming Initiative on a Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life, the Policy Evaluation Network PEN identified key indicators of health behaviours and their determinants. These key indicators are already, or have the potential to be, adopted by large European Union surveillance systems for the assessment of policy impact. The iterative selection process included consultations in two rounds via email prior to a 2-days expert workshop. The experts collated a list of dietary behaviour, physical activity and sedentary behaviour indicators for European policy monitoring in young and adult populations based on existing frameworks and literature reviews. The expert panel was composed of researchers, policy makers and representatives of major European surveillance systems and related initiatives, as well as, representatives of organisations providing monitoring data, such as the European Commission and Eurostat. Results: The process provided two lists of key indicators including 37 diet 'policy' indicators and 35 indicators for dietary behaviour and their 'determinants'; as well as 32 physical activity 'policy' indicators and 35 indicators for physical activity, sedentary behaviour and their 'determinants'. Conclusion: A total of 139 key indicators related to the individual, the setting and the population level, and suitable for the assessment of dietary behaviour, physical activity and sedentary behaviour were prioritised by policy makers and researchers with the ultimate aim to embed policy evaluation measures in existing surveillance systems across the European Union. In a next step, data sources and suitable instruments will be identified to assess these key indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on the three accounting workshops organized by the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management in 1992. Namely, Workshop on Accounting Research and Practice in Manchester, England on June 10 to 12, Workshop on Public Sector Accounting in Helsinki, Finland on September 28 to 30 and the Historical Perspectives on Cost Accounting in Europe in Brussels Belgium in December. The workshops aim to provide a forum for discussion on the relationship between accounting research and accounting practice.

The article offers information on a workshop at the 16th World Congress on Public Health 2020 on the European burden of disease network.

The article offers information on a workshop at the 16th World Congress on Public Health 2020 on mental ill-health and social exclusion among refugee minors/youth in European countries.

The article offers information on a workshop at the 16th World Congress on Public Health 2020 which aims to facilitate a conversation on understanding the structural situation and exploring ways to reduce the disproportionate health burden and risk factors of HIV.

This article describes the experience of two years of working with migrants residing in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Three different groups, with participants from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe, students, migrants and asylum seekers, converged in three different spaces and frameworks. A total of 51 participants, six men and 41 women between 20 and 50 years of age, took part in spontaneous movement workshops to promote their health, body awareness and well-being, the strengthening of affective bonds and creativity. The impact of the sessions was assessed through an anonymous survey, a semi-structured interview and a facilitator's diary of the sessions. The settings of the three groups were not identical and, thus, did not allow for a comparison between them. However, the results showed that the sessions helped participants to increase their sense of well-being and confidence, facilitate their integration process and strengthen their bonds with other participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: When capturing patient-level outcomes in palliative care, it is essential to identify which outcome domains are most important and focus efforts to capture these, in order to improve quality of care and minimise collection burden. Aim: To determine which domains of palliative care are most important for measurement of outcomes, and the optimal time period over which these should be measured. Design: An international expert consensus workshop using nominal group technique. Data were analysed descriptively, and weighted according to ranking (1–5, lowest to highest priority) of domains. Participants' rationales for their choices were analysed thematically. Setting/participants: In all, 33 clinicians and researchers working globally in palliative care outcome measurement participated. Two groups (n = 16; n = 17) answered one question each (either on domains or optimal timing). This workshop was conducted at the 9th World Research Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care in 2016. Results: Participants' years of experience in palliative care and in outcome measurement ranged from 10.9 to 14.7 years and 5.8 to 6.4 years, respectively. The mean scores (weighted by rank) for the top-ranked domains were 'overall wellbeing/quality of life' (2.75), 'pain' (2.06), and 'information needs/preferences' (2.06), respectively. The palliative measure 'Phase of Illness' was recommended as the preferred measure of time period over which the domains were measured. Conclusion: The domains of 'overall wellbeing/quality of life', 'pain', and 'information needs/preferences' are recommended for regular measurement, assessed using 'Phase of Illness'. International adoption of these recommendations will help standardise approaches to improving the quality of palliative care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the summer of 2016, in the midst of one of the biggest refugee crises in centuries, the author of this article joined the team from a shelter for unaccompanied refugee minors on Samos, Greece, in an effort to provide young boys seeking asylum in Europe with an opportunity to engage in speaking about the difficulties they have encountered in life. The team used a collective narrative methodology called the “Tree of Life”, originally developed by Ncube-Mlilo and Denborough. In addition to traditional psychological treatments, collective narrative practice creates a secure foundation for addressing trauma, suffering, and hardship. This approach takes into consideration cultural differences and is easy to access for refugees with perceived stigma of traditional mental health services. The Tree of Life is a minimum of 8-hour workshop involving a strength-based narrative methodology, using the tree as a metaphor. This enables participants to share and develop enriching stories about their lives, which are rooted in their cultural and social histories. The workshop conducted on Samos proved to be an effective way to invite young unaccompanied minors to speak about their difficulties in ways that were not retraumatizing, but instead made them stronger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]