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SHINE 2Europe, LDA

SHINE

SHINE 2Europe aims to promote inclusive communities to all citizens, by delivering research services and support to the implementation of tech-Savvy, Healthy and INclusivE solutions (SHINE) in Europe, with a clear vision of fostering societal growth and inclusiveness, by sharing good practices, promoting active networking between different stakeholders and countries and developing relevant projects.

Lobbying Activity

Response to EU cardiovascular health plan

17 Sept 2025

There are two main points that we propose to integrate in the EU Cardiovascular Health Plan: 1. Citizen and patient-centred approaches: the plan offers a unique opportunity to actively involve citizens and patients in the design, evaluation, and implementation of prevention, early detection, and care programs. They can act as co-creators, shaping interventions based on their lived experiences and priorities. Participatory research methods, such as social innovation sessions, workshops, focus groups, and Living Labs, combined with digital tools for continuous feedback and personalised monitoring, ensure that interventions are practical, inclusive, and responsive to real-world challenges. Integrating citizen and patient-centred approaches in health research is essential to improve outcomes, tailor treatments to real needs, and value the experience and autonomy of patients. Evidence demonstrates clear benefits: patients involved in decision-making report higher satisfaction, feeling respected, understood, and safe, which strengthens trust in healthcare teams. Besides that, shared decision-making has been shown to increase treatment adherence, as patients who participate actively are more likely to follow recommendations, medications, and preventive measures. Clinical outcomes also improve, with reductions in symptoms, anxiety, and recurrence of health problems, positively impacting both physical and mental health. Moreover, patient-centred approaches contribute to cost savings and more efficient resource use, with fewer hospital visits, diagnostic tests, and hospitalizations, significantly reducing overall healthcare expenditures. In summary, integrating patients from the design stage through to the final evaluation makes research more relevant, interventions more effective, and ensures ethical, respectful consideration of individual needs. Implementation strategies include incorporating patient partners early and providing ongoing support and resources such as funding and training. Digital tools should be designed or reviewed by patients for broad accessibility. Regular focus groups, feedback loops, and participatory evaluation activities enable interventions to adapt as new insights emerge. 2 Create a cross-synergy with the Mission Cancer actions and the Europe's Beating Cancer Plan: the cardiovascular late-effects of cancer treatments are now being further researched and represent an area where preventive and mitigation actions are still lacking, especially in what concerns clinical guidelines. Prevention of later cardiovascular effects in cancer survivals can have a strong impact on later developments of severe cardiovascular disease and clear preventive measures and early diagnosis should be implemented in health care systems. This is an area too explore and that should be clearly mentioned in the EU Cardiovascular Health Plan.
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