Based on the findings of the European Atlas of Access to Myeloma Treatment, Myeloma Patients Europe’s Atlas Coaching Programme is an opportunity for MPE members to identify priorities and build successful advocacy strategies to improve access to myeloma treatments in every country in Europe.
MPE, in close liaison with the Avedis Donabedian Research Foundation, has been working intensively during the last two years on developing the European Atlas of Access to Myeloma Treatment, which aims to identify the variation in access to treatment in the European countries as well as its possible causes. “This Atlas is a new approach to patient advocacy. It enables myeloma patient organisations across Europe to move towards evidence-based advocacy by identifying the key barriers to access in their countries. This is an important first step towards better access to myeloma treatments for all patients across Europe,” said Ananda Plate, Chief Executive Officer at MPE.
The next step is to empower MPE members through the Atlas Coaching Programme, an adapted training programme aimed at helping member organisations to prioritise between all access barriers previously identified, and helping them develop strategies to address these. “There have been major advances in myeloma treatment over the last decade, however there are still access issues in almost all European countries. MPE’s Atlas Coaching Programme provides the necessary skills and guidance for MPE members to develop tailored evidence-based advocacy strategies. Also, another key element is the adaptability of the programme to the specific needs, context, and resources of each organisation,” said Plate.
Atlas Coaching Programme pilot
Over the next six months, virtual and face-to-face sessions will be organised within the Atlas Coaching Programme pilot to train and support three selected MPE members: Slovensko Združenje Bolnikov Z Limfomom In Levkemijo L&L (Slovenian Association of Patients with Lymphoma and Leukemia), Eesti Müeloomiliit (Estonian Association of Myeloma Patients) and SOS Mielom, one of MPE’s Romanian members. MPE will gather feedback from these pilot participants and improve the next programme, to be run in 2017.
The Atlas provides a good framework to help our members to identify the state-of-the-art treatments and care for myeloma patients in their country. The next step is to help them find strategies that have more impact on patients, to achieve reachable goals and solutions,” said Hans Scheurer, president of MPE. “Organisations play a significant role in delivering solutions at a European and a local level. In advocacy people often take problems to the table rather than solutions. With the Atlas and the coaching programme we look at these problems much more seriously, and work with the advocates on solutions that really could make a difference for patients,” added Scheurer.
