More than 350 professionals from the health sector met at the Neptuno Palace of Madrid for the announcement of the winners of the VI Edition of the ESTEVE "United by Patient Care" Awards and "Chronic Patient Care" Health Innovation Scholarship. The ceremony was also attended by representatives of the Health Ministry and the Community of Madrid.

The successful calls of this edition were reflected in the reception of 251 projects, among which the winners of the Awards in the three areas called -medical, pharmaceutical and nurse prescribing- and of the scholarship, were selected. The purpose was to acknowledge the human side of health professionals and the work they do to improve patient care and communication and to innovate in the field of chronicity.

The huge success of the VI Edition of the ESTEVE Awards and the ESTEVE Scholarship was reflected in the 251 projects from different Autonomous Communities submitted in the different categories: 77 in the Medical Area, 36 in the Pharmaceutical Area, 42 in the Nurse Prescribing Area, and 96 in the Scholarship.

First held in 2004 for the 75th anniversary of the foundation of ESTEVE, the Awards are called every two years in collaboration with the Spanish Medical Organization (OMC), the General Council of Pharmacists Associations (CGCOF) and the General Council of Nurses Associations (CGCOE). The purpose is to acknowledge initiatives driven by health professionals to help improve doctor-patient relationships and patient care.

On the other hand, the ESTEVE Scholarship wishes to award projects that improve the quality of life of chronic patients and promote healthy habits, as well as foster and facilitate innovation among professionals, multidisciplinary participation among the agents of the system, and coordination among care levels, research and training.

Health quality and innovation from the entire Spanish territory

One winner and two finalists were selected in each area -Medical, Pharmaceutical and Nurse Prescribing. The winners were awarded 10,000 euros and a sculpture in bronze by artist Marcel Martí. The finalists were awarded 1,000 euros and a merit diploma. Regarding the Scholarship, one single winning project awarded with 10,000 euros was selected among the projects submitted in the four areas called -Adaptation-Optimization of Treatments, Therapeutic Inertia, Adherence to Treatment, and Self-Care.

Each area called by the ESTEVE Awards and the ESTEVE Scholarship had its own independent jury, composed of persons of recognized standing, expert health professionals, patient representatives, and specialized media.

Medical Area
Winner: "Community Assistance Network for Continuity of Care" by Miguel Ángel Franco, Head of the Psychiatry Service of the Health Complex of Zamora.

Finalists: "Using the citizen's health folder. Actions speak louder than words" by Rafael Sánchez Bernal, from the Mental Health Network Management Unit of Álava Osakidetza; and "Healthy lifestyle unity" by Emilio Salguero, a family doctor at the Valdepasillas Health Center of Badajoz.

Pharmaceutical Area
Winner: "Online guide agreed by pharmacists and physicians for dose adjustment of medicines given to patients with chronic kidney disease" by Maria Antonia March, from the Practical Medicine Group of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the UB.

Finalists: "I-Value Program: the value of the pharmaceutical indication" by Luis Salar, from the Spanish Society of Community Pharmacy of Valencia; and "Integrated care of hepatitis C patients treated with direct-acting antivirals. The GRUviC Program", by Álvaro Giménez, from the Pharmacy Service of the Gregorio Marañón General University Hospital.

Nursing Area
Winner: "Health care optimization in a Primary Care Clinical Management Unit by means of an innovative experience" by Juan Carlos Palomo, care coordinator at the Alamillo-San Jerónimo Management Unit of Seville.

Finalists: "Design of a scale to measure the degree of cohabitation in patients with Parkinson disease", by Leire Ambrosio, from the Nursing Faculty of the University of Navarre; and "I am your next patient, a person with autism" by Lourdes Martín Burgos, from the Emergency Service of the University Hospital of Burgos.

ESTEVE scholarship:
"Effectiveness of an intervention based on shared decisions to adjust medication in polymedicated chronic patients" by Valle Coronado, a family doctor at the Ariño CS Andorra office of Teruel.

Both the ESTEVE Awards and the ESTEVE Scholarship of this call particularly valued projects that bring a differential advantage over customary practice in the health sector, outstand for their high social impact and their continuity, and achieve long-lasting, tangible changes in the patients' living conditions. In the case of the ESTEVE Awards the jury also had a preference for initiatives that were completed or started up with results.

The ESTEVE Scholarship also valued scientific-technical quality and the promotion of teamwork and multidisciplinary collaboration in innovative projects to treat noncommunicable chronic diseases.


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