“Promoting our presence and importance to policymakers”: WE Working Party on Policy Advocacy’s chair interview
Subheadings:
The 2024 EU4HEALTH stakeholders’ conference is a very important event that we have been attending from WE for the past 3 years
There are many positive examples of primary care in Europe, and we should have a more enthusiastic narrative about family medicine given the global situation on the continent
We need to show that family doctors are the only ones who have been proven to increase survival rates in the community, reduce emergency service use, and lower hospital admissions
More than two-thirds of the European population visit their family doctor at least once a year, so we are indispensable in healthcare, regardless of the type of model
AI tools should focus on freeing up our time to do more, not only for the patient but also for the community
We invite you all to attend some of our multiple activities and share experiences on this topic in WONCA EUROPE 24 Conference
Sara Ares is specialist in Family and Community Medicine and works as a family doctor at the Federica Montseny Health Center (Madrid), where she mentors residents and medical students.
Sara is member of the Central Primary Care Research Commission of the Community of Madrid and the Southeast Primary Care Research Commission of the Community of Madrid. She is a researcher with the RICORS (RICAPPS) Network of the Carlos III Health Institute, focused on health services for chronic diseases. She is representative of semFYC (Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine) in the European General Practice Research Network (EGPRN), and a member of the EGPRN Strategy Research Committee. She regularly delivers lectures on research methodology for the EGPRN network.
Sara is the chair of the WONCA Europe working party on Policy Advocacy Group. Her publications can be found in ORCID 0000-0002-4984-8788v
We wanted to sit down with Sara to know more about WE Working Party on Policy Advocacy’s activities and her thoughts about its future, World Family Doctor Day and artificial intelligence
Sara, thank you for taking the time to speak with us.
1.- When did you become interested in Policy Advocacy and why?
Shortly after completing my residency in family medicine, there was a healthcare strike in response to the privatization of healthcare services without a prior rigorous study of the scientific evidence regarding the functioning of health systems. This situation deeply sensitized me to the impact that political decisions can have, both positively and negatively, on our ability to work as family doctors. As a result of this event, I joined the executive board of the Madrid Region Family Doctors Association and actively participated in meetings with the Regional Health Department for three years.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, I realized that while we could achieve small changes at the local level, in Spain, more attention was being paid to the recommendations of the European Parliament than to those of scientific societies. This led me to conclude that our efforts should not be limited to the regional level but should be more comprehensive, including active participation in European institutions to ensure that scientific evidence in primary care is effectively implemented.
2.- How would you introduce the WE Working Party on Policy Advocacy to our readers?
The WE Working Party on Policy Advocacy aims to empower policy advocacy, strengthen collaborative ties, and influence European policymakers to enhance family medicine and primary care. This is slow work that takes years to make family medicine present at the level of European institutions, but it is necessary to start at some point.
3.- What are the WE Working Party on Policy Advocacy’s aims for the next years? In this first year, we have participated in 23 activities outside of WE, 7 activities within WE, 4 events organized by the EU, and 2 events from the OECD/WHO Europe. We have also responded to three EU opinion surveys. The idea is to maintain the same level of activities and to be present at more events, if possible, to speak about family medicine. In each event, we try to ask about the situation of family medicine and make it known so that policymakers are aware that we not only exist but that we care about their opinions and analyses of family medicine.
4.- What are the main challenges for Policy Advocacy in general practice/family medicine in Europe? Right now, the main challenge is to make our presence known to policymakers. Family medicine and primary care are not very visible in Europe; when we are discussed, it is not from the perspective of analyzing our problems and seeking solutions, but rather as just another part of the healthcare system. We need to show that family doctors are the only ones who have been proven to increase survival rates in the community, reduce emergency service use, and lower hospital admissions. Moreover, more than two-thirds of the European population visit their family doctor at least once a year, so we are indispensable in healthcare, regardless of the type of model. These facts, although well-known and described in medical literature, are unknown to most politicians who make decisions about policies regarding the organization and funding of the healthcare system.
5.- The 2024 EU4HEALTH stakeholders’ conference has just taken place in Brussels (19/06/2024). What should we know about it?
The 2024 EU4HEALTH stakeholders’ conference is a very important event that we have been attending from WE for the past 3 years. It showcases not only the priorities of the stakeholders but also the priorities of the European Commission. This year, the focus remained on prioritizing the fight against cancer, and the European health data space are also gaining significant importance.
6.- What will be the WE Working Party on Policy Advocacy’s contributions to the next WONCA EUROPE 24 Conference (theme “The changing nature of family medicine. Cultivating the future”)? At the next WE conference, we will hold a symposium with the participation of Karen Flegg, Shlomo Vinker, Amanda Howe, Alex Harding, and others to discuss their perspectives on Policy Advocacy at the international, national, and local levels. Additionally, we will hold a workshop on how to do Policy Advocacy in real life, led by Raquel Gómez-Bravo and Nick Mamo, and we will collaborate with the EGPRN on a workshop on the use of big data and Policy Advocacy with Pilar Astier and Radost Asenova. Nick Mamo along with Darach O´Ciarda will lead a workshop about Advocacy and Leadership during the preconference. We will also hold an in-person meeting of the group during the conference. We invite you all to attend some of our activities and share experiences on this topic.
7.- WE Working Party on Policy Advocacy ran some e-learning webinars in 2023/24. What are the main lessons learned?
From the Working Party, we promoted a WE talk with Toni Dedeu (WHO Europe) and Candan Kendir (OECD) about the state of primary care on the continent and initiatives being carried out. The main takeaway is that there are many positive examples of primary care in Europe, and we should have a more enthusiastic narrative about family medicine given the global situation on the continent. Additionally, the OECD conducted the PaRIS study, with very positive results for primary care, which we expect to be published in November 2024.
8.- What are the relations of the WE Working Party on Policy Advocacy with the rest of the WONCA Europe networks and Special Interest Groups (SIG)? And with the WW Working Party on Policy Advocacy?
The relationship and reception among the various groups have been very positive. We have been able to exchange experiences and learn about more European-level events where the different networks are participating. I believe this is a good example of networking and sharing strategies to make family medicine more visible.
9.- What do you think will be the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning on Policy Advocacy in Family Medicine and General Practice in the next 10 years?
This is a difficult question to answer, as AI is here to stay. I believe it's important to highlight the areas where AI can help reduce uncertainty in family medicine, especially in assisting with the interpretation of some diagnostic tests. We would also need AI to take over the bureaucracy imposed on doctors when creating reports for administrative purposes, for patients or insurance companies. This would reduce the workload for doctors, allowing us to dedicate more time to patient care rather than to management tasks, where the added value of a doctor performing them is low. Family doctors want to be able to practice as family doctors, so all AI tools should focus on freeing up our time to do more, not only for the patient but also for the community.
10.- How do you think the WE Working Party on Policy Advocacy in Family Medicine and General Practice will be ten years from now?
I hope we can maintain the Working Party, as we have only been approved for three years so far by the WE Council. However, I believe the work we are doing, coordinating with the networks, the executive board, and sharing activities with member organizations and Working Party members, is very valuable. I hope we become more established and are more present in the activities of European institutions.
11.- World Family Doctor Day (WFDD) 2024 with the logo “Healthy Planet, Healthy People” has just been held. What do you think about it? What were the WE Working Party on Policy Advocacy’s contributions?
I believe celebrating WFDD is important because it highlights our work. This year, I participated with WHO Europe as one of three doctors featured on their social media. It was also great to see many colleagues from WE and WW participate in the campaign through social media.
12.- Which book are you reading now, and do you recommend it?
I just finished The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Study on Happiness by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz. It’s a book about the decisions that lead people to have a good life, and it’s very interesting because it studies two generations of the same family, showing their life trajectories. I'm recommending it to patients because it makes you think and helps us learn attitudes that lead to a good life, which is always necessary.