In April 2013 the team of five psychologist from the Medical Psychology Department at the Medical University of Warsaw have received a founding for Polish-Norwegian research project titled: Promoting Active Ageing in Public Health Care: Recognizing Patient Psychosocial Needs and Enhancing Doctor Interpersonal Competencies with an acronym PRACTA. 

Our application was selected from 270 submitted by various scientific centres in the country and was proceeded to founding along with 46 other winners in Core 2012 Call Polish-Norwegian Research Programme. Between 2013 and 2016 the group directed by Dorota Włodarczyk PhD, and including Mirosława Adamus PhD, Joanna Chylińska PhD, Magdalena Łazarewicz MS and Marta Rzadkiewicz PhD is going to explore the actual state and possibilities to promote active ageing in public outpatient clinics. 

The aim of the project

The general aim of the study is to recognize patients’ psychosocial needs and to adequately enhance doctors’ interpersonal competences, all in the context of an idea to motivate the elderly for activity and healthy behaviours. The Norwegian partner of MUW is the Norwegian University of Science and Technology represented by the renowned Research Centre for Health Promotion and Resources (http://www.ntnu.edu/rchpr/) where Professor Geir Arild Espnes is the director . 

The study is designed to answer the following questions:

-  What are expectations, main problems and determinants of patients’ satisfaction with the interaction with the doctor? The analysis of psychosocial needs among patients in public healthcare outclinics.

-  How the elderly patients and their needs are seen from the doctors’ perspective, how do they respond to them, whether they promote active attitudes? The analysis of doctors’ interpersonal competences in communication with the elderly.

An important aim is also a creation and implementation of innovative, evidence- based e-learning programme for doctors, to enhance their abilities in activating elderly patients along with spreading general knowledge about seniors’ needs. The essential element of the research at this point will be the intervention’s efficacy testing.

The scope of PRACTA

Participation of 600 general practitioners and 12000 of their patients in central Poland is planned.

Expected outcomes

In depth analysis of elderly patients’ needs, interpersonal competences of their doctors and development of psychometric and intervening tools are expected project’s outcomes. In a long time perspective there is also an endeavour to increase general awareness of elderly patients’ psychosocial needs in outpatient clinics and shaping proactive, health promoting attitudes in this age group.

Doctors should benefit from the project as it is going to enlarge the continuous education offer in the field of psychosocial needs and activation means for the group of senior patients. This can improve GPs interpersonal competences and increase their job satisfaction. For the clinics a substantial outcome of the project is an analysis of determinants influencing senior patient’s satisfaction with the practice, which is one of institution’s efficacy measures. 

Further work and advance in PRACTA will be described on our web page. We encourage to visit it regularly. 

The Project is funded by Norwegian Financial Mechanism via Polish-Norwegian Research Progrmme[1].

[1] Through the Norway Grants and EEA Grants, Norway contributes to reducing social and economic disparities and to strengthening bilateral relations with the beneficiary countries in Europe. Norway cooperates closely with the EU through the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA). For the period 2009-14, Norway’s contribution is €1.7 billion. Grants are available for NGOs, research and academic institutions, and the public and private sectors in the 12 newest EU member states, Greece, Portugal and Spain. There is broad cooperation with Norwegian entities, and activities may be implemented until 2016. Key areas of support are environmental protection and climate change, research and scholarships, civil society, health and children, gender equality, justice and cultural heritage. 

Links: http://eeagrants.org/
http://www.ncbir.pl/en/norwaygrants/