The BBVA Foundation and Hospital Clínic launch forumclínic, an interactive health program for patients suffering chronic disease

Presenting forumclínic at an event in the BBVA Foundation’s Madrid offices were Rafael Pardo, the Foundation director; Joan Rodés, director of Hospital Clínic de Barcelona; and Joan Gené, medical editor of forumclínic.

Almost 30% of the Spanish population suffers some kind of chronic disease. forumclínic aims to improve their and their families’ quality of life by providing scientifically endorsed information that can help them adjust to their condition while getting them actively involved in the decisions necessary for its management. forumclínic is an interactive program for patients that gives them more control over their own health, exploiting the opportunities yielded by new technologies. It offers reliable, plain-speaking, practical advice on health and encourages the hands-on participation of patients and their associations. The idea is to inform citizens better about health, illness and the conditioning factors, as well as about the safety and effectiveness of current preventive and therapeutic treatments, so they can have a say in the clinical decisions that affect them.

The first forumclínic packages, available as of today to patients and their families, deal with diabetes, ischemic heart diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Shortly, the collection will be enlarged with new contents on breast cancer, depression, childhood asthma, obesity, cardiovascular risk factors and arthrosis and rheumatoid arthritis. In all, 263,000 DVDs to be distributed to the 2,219 primary health centers operating in Spain.

Another tool is the website www.forumclinic.org, where each DVD chapter has its own page and associated forum, moderated by the relevant specialist. The site also provides general tips and recommendations about coping with disease. forumclínic publishes health information based on the best scientific evidence available and the experience of medical professionals, but with the patient’s perspective first in mind. The material has no commercial bias, seeking simply to give patients the means to take informed decisions about the health problems they confront. In no case should it be seen as replacing the individualized care that only professional health teams can provide.

forumclínic has been developed by professionals from the hospital and primary care centers of Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, a national leader in clinical care and biomedical research, with the support of the BBVA Foundation, which engages in the biomedicine field through the promotion of research for the improvement of citizens’ health and quality of life.