The Future of Education

Background

Chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) have grown in prevalence and are major causes of health burden and death worldwide. In general, the total cost of respiratory disease in the 28 countries of the EU alone amounts to more than €380 billion annually. As the disease progresses, complications may become more frequent and complex. Current evidence suggests that physical activity and long-term rehabilitation should be recommended to patients with chronic respiratory conditions since physical activity improves health outcomes and does not substantially increase the risk of harm.

Aims

The project aims to the development of rehabilitation programs and plans, improvement of student training, post-graduate training, improvement of patient education, education of patient's families and patients' organizations, and improvement of patients' quality of life.

The project also aims at upskilling the competences of:

·         University physiotherapy/ physical activity /sports /nursing students that need to acquire the professional competencies required by today’s patients with chronic respiratory conditions;

·         Physiotherapy/ physical activity /sports /nursing professionals in practice willing to specialize in a particular field.

Target Groups

The project target groups are:

·         Lecturers and trainers in higher education institutions

·         University physiotherapy / physical activity / sports / nursing students

·         Physiotherapy / physical activity / sports / nursing professionals

·         Patients with chronic respiratory diseases

Activities and Results

The project foresees 3 main activities:

1.     Comparison of the local contexts of the participating countries taking into account: epidemiology, organization of National Health Service, management, rehabilitation paths, and rehabilitation structures to verify the development of physical activity programs for patients with respiratory impairment and the local unmet needs.

2.     Creation of a database of good practices promoting and inhibiting factors of physical activity in patients with respiratory impairments

3.     Development of an E-learning platform for healthcare and physical activities/sports professionals in order to help them organize physical activities with patients who suffer from respiratory disorders and the digital platform for eLearning.

Partners

·         University of Opolsky, Poland

·         University of Zadar Studium, Croatia

·         Turku University of Applied Science, Finland

·         Pixel – Associazione Culturale, Italy

·         Klaipeda University, Lithuania

·         EIA- Atlântica, Portugal