“Welfare is more than health and clinical outcomes”

Practical points for improvement

“The focus of healthcare systems is still too restricted. To really meet patients’ needs, a focus on general well-being is needed, which is broader than just health and clinical outcomes.” In the press release about her appointment as professor at Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management, Jane Murray Cramm did not sugarcoat her words. She will be coordinating and conducting research with the goal of providing practical points for improvement in care by 2026, among other goals. Studies will be organised in primary care, long-term care and hospitals. The focus will be on vulnerable groups: for example, people with dementia, obesity or a mental handicap, the chronically ill and patients with multimorbidity.

Vulnerable groups

Murray Cramm: “The socioeconomic health gap keeps growing. That implies that the current care system works best for highly educated patients. I want to know: what does the care system need to be able to include vulnerable groups? With personalised care, caregivers often look at a person’s age and medical symptoms, but not at their level of education and health skills. We are talking about a large group. Research conducted by Nivel last year revealed that around thirty per cent of the Dutch population has difficulty understanding the information about sickness and health, with applying this information and asking questions about it. It also became evident that caregivers communicate with these patients primarily through instruments.”

Welfare

The professor mentioned a possibility for improvement. She is enthusiastic about the eight dimensions of personalised care of the Picker Institute. Jane Murray Cramm said, “Will an organisation score better on the eight dimensions? That could result in a health gain, better welfare and more satisfied patients and caregivers. This is apparent from systematic reviews.”