Nurses: A Force for Patient/Citizens Empowerment (12 May 2015)

Thanks to the increasing focus on patient empowerment, political leaders become more aware of the vital role nurses play in empowering patients/citizens in the process of continuity of care. EHealth services start playing a crucial role in integrated care.
On the International Nurses’ Day, which falls together with the celebration at the European Parliament of the 9th Edition of the European Patients’ Rights Day, both EFN-European Federation of Nurses Associations and ACN-Active Citizenship Network advocate for a highly educated, supported and developed nursing workforce in the right numbers to deliver person-centred care in which eHealth services are oriented to support better patient/citizens outcomes.

Only with a proper education, in compliance with the competency based Directive 2013/55/EU, and a sufficient amount of motivated nurses, the traditional medical & disease-based model can be transformed into an integrated model in which eHealth/mHealth supports nurses and patients/citizens in designing a person-centred approached to care.
With the proper investments and efforts, nurses and citizens will be able to contribute to a sustainable health system reform with patient empowerment as key driver. This development will certainly provide evidenceof commitments to improve patients’ rights, which are included in the European Charter of Patients' Rights, in Europe and in each Member State. 

More information: 
European Patients’ Rights Day: The European Patients’ Rights Day has been celebrated for nine years, an initiative created by civic associations and already included in the European political agenda. For further information: http://www.activecitizenship.net/primo-piano/170-9th-european-patients-rights-day.html