On the 8th of January 2016, the European Brain Council (EBC) brought together all the relevant stakeholders in the brain field for an Expert Workshop discussing the upcoming project, “The Value of Treatment for brain disorders”. The project, set to be officially launched on the 27th January 2016, aims to explore the effectiveness and sustainability of a coordinated health care model for brain disorders.
Brain Disorders, including both mental and neurological disorders, represent an enormous burden on both individuals and societies. The broad impact of brain disorders, which in the future is likely to be even greater, is threating the quality of life of millions of European citizens with important implications for the potential achievement of the Europe 2020 strategy on economic growth.
The present healthcare systems do not respond to the need of patients with brain disorders. They are fragmented and essentially reactive – responding mainly when a person is sick – and have many deficiencies in the management of patients with brain disorders who need long-term care and treatment. A possible solution is the implementation of a coordinated patient- centered care model. However, evidence on its effectiveness and sustainability are still lacking.
Through the Value of Treatment project, EBC has the potential to influence the political debate on this issue by providing evidence on the socio- economic impact of coordinated and patient-centered clinical interventions.