Meeting report: national workshops for the communication of air pollution and health information: summary of four workshops in different regions of Europe

AIRNET was a thematic network project (2002-2004) initiated to stimulate the interaction between researchers in air pollution and health in Europe. As part of AIRNET's communication strategy, a standardized workshop model was developed to organize national meetings on air pollution and health (AIRNET network days) . Emphasis was given to tailor the national workshop information and related activities to the specific needs of a wider range of stakeholders (e.g., policy makers, nongovernmental organizations, industry representatives) . In this report we present an overview of the results of four workshops held in western, northern, central/eastern, and southern regions of Europe in 2004. Overall, workshop experiences indicated that by actively involving participants in the planning of each meeting, AIRNET helped create an event that addressed participants' needs and interests. A wide range of communication formats used to discuss air pollution and health also helped stimulate active interaction among participants. Overall, the national workshops held by AIRNET offered a way to improve communication among the different stakeholders. Because a broad stakeholder involvement in decision making can positively affect the development of widely supported policies, such meetings should be continued for Europe and elsewhere.

Using health outcomes data to inform decision-making: patient perspective

Increasingly in the developed world, patients expect to be partners in the management of their healthcare. Several recent studies show that the patient perspective differs from the perspective of the healthcare provider. Patients usually focus on the impact of their condition on their lifestyle, while clinicians may tend to focus on simple objective measures. Like other people, patients with chronic disease such as allergy and asthma want to live as normal a life as possible, and the ability to do so is influenced by the level of disease control, by environmental factors and by social factors. Healthcare managers need to be aware of the patient perspective to ensure that it is taken into account in decision-making.