EHMA 2025 Conference Programme
DAY 1 – Wednesday, 4 June 2025
Health systems across Europe face unprecedented challenges that threaten the accessibility, equity, and sustainability of care. Today’s health services must respond not only to the immediate needs of patients but also to broader societal issues such as workforce shortages, the rise of chronic diseases, the impacts of digitalisation, and environmental sustainability. To address these critical challenges, this conference seeks to explore practical, scalable solutions and reimagine how health management can be mobilised to build healthier communities.
The title, ‘Taking action to improve health for all’, reflects our commitment to fostering dynamic, proactive health management that extends beyond traditional care facilities. We recognise that health management plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between policy and practice, ensuring that strategies translate into tangible benefits for citizens and communities. The goal is not just to manage health systems, but to actively shape them in ways that promote prevention, equity, and resilience across all levels – from system-wide initiatives to individual care.
At the heart of our approach is the understanding that nurturing healthier communities requires collective action. A siloed approach, where different sectors work in isolation, cannot adequately address the complex, interconnected health challenges of today. Instead, we advocate for a Health in All Policies and One Health approach, recognising that health outcomes are deeply influenced by factors outside the traditional healthcare sector. By considering environmental, economic, and social determinants of health, we ensure that policies are holistic and impactful, improving the wellbeing of both people and the planet.
Health management, therefore, must be a multi-level effort. It involves systems thinking to ensure equitable access and sustainability at a macro level, organisational leadership to drive innovation and integrate digital tools at the meso level, and empowering individuals to take charge of their health at the micro level. By embracing this vision, health managers act as facilitators of change, not just within healthcare facilities, but within entire communities.
Stretch your legs and get ready for the first round of sessions
Building on the success of last year’s session, the Programme Directors’ Group of EHMA proposes a renewed focus on the challenges and opportunities of introducing innovative teaching methodologies and tools into healthcare management education.
This interactive session will be organised around four thematic tables and structured into three dynamic rounds:
- Identifying key challenges (20 minutes)
- Sharing and discussing strategies and implemented solutions (40 minutes)
- Developing a collaborative worksheet at each table (20 minutes)
Each table will focus on a specific topic:
- Table 1: Distance Learning
How can we effectively engage students in online classes?
- Table 2: Managing Multiprofessional Classrooms
How can we create meaningful learning experiences for participants with diverse professional backgrounds and levels of experience?
- Table 3: Problem-Based Learning
How can we involve industry partners in the development of real-life case studies and foster productive student–industry interaction?
- Table 4: Producing Teaching Outputs
How can we create, share, and capitalise on the knowledge generated through training activities?
This session aims to foster collaboration, peer learning, and the co-creation of actionable ideas to improve teaching in healthcare management across Europe and beyond.
In collaboration with 
Europe offers an invaluable opportunity to learn from each other, with innovative ideas, impactful policies, and proven implementation strategies. To help harness this wealth of knowledge and experience, we introduce the Health Reform Tracker— a groundbreaking tool designed to facilitate cross-country learning for policymakers, health managers, and their advisors.
The Health Reform Tracker provides the first comprehensive overview of health reforms since 2018, covering more than 30 countries across the WHO European Region and North America. This resource highlights key reforms and tracks their evolution over time, using a straightforward classification system and interactive graphical interfaces to make complex data easily accessible.
Session Agenda:
- A live demonstration of the Health Reform Tracker.
- In-depth exploration of two key topics, offering a closer look at specific reforms.
- An interactive component, giving participants a hands-on experience with the tool.
In collaboration with 
As primary care systems across Europe and beyond face rising demands, workforce shortages, and sustainability challenges, innovative strategies are reshaping service delivery. This session presents research exploring new models and roles within primary care, emphasising their impact on access, cost-efficiency, and health outcomes.
Studies from Finland and Canada highlight how multidisciplinary teams and nurse practitioner-led interventions can reduce hospital admissions and emergency transfers while containing costs. Italian and Romanian contributions focus on the evolving role of Family and Community Nurses, presenting national guidelines and workforce data that reveal regional disparities and inform policy for equitable service expansion. Further research from Spain quantifies the administrative burden of sick leave management in family medicine, showing how streamlining such processes could free up significant clinical time and resources.
Together, these insights offer practical pathways to enhance the efficiency, reach, and equity of primary care through better workforce planning, digital innovation, and evidence-based policy.
- (ID 76) – Costs and health outcomes of a multidisciplinary team in primary care
- (ID 255) – Nurse practitioner planned interventions provide cost savings through reduced transfers from home care to emergency departments
- (ID 292) – The Italian guidelines for Family and Community Nurses
- (ID 275) – Observed trends in the number of primary healthcare Community Nurses and their beneficiaries across administrative regions of Romania (2019-2022)
- (ID277 )- Impact of Sick Leave Management on Primary Care Physicians’ Schedules: Costs and Administrative Burden in Family and Community Medicine
More information will be available soon
This session explores critical intersections between mental health, multimorbidity, and digital innovation across different age groups and care settings. It presents evidence from six studies examining how physical and mental health challenges, ethical complexities, and technological solutions shape care delivery for older adults, caregivers, and young people.
Research on multimorbidity among older adults reveals specific disease clusters associated with anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline, underlining the need for integrated, person-centred care. A qualitative study from Moldova sheds light on the ethical burdens faced by informal caregivers of people with dementia, highlighting tensions between autonomy, safety, and support.
For youth, two systematic reviews explore the promise of digital mental health interventions and integrated care approaches. These studies emphasise the effectiveness of school- and community-based services and digital platforms, while also noting persistent barriers such as fragmentation, stigma, and inequality. Meanwhile, a study on digital transformation in elderly care identifies the evolving skill sets needed for professionals to support innovation and collaboration.
Together, these contributions call for coordinated, ethically sound, and inclusive approaches to mental health care—grounded in lived experiences and responsive to both structural and personal challenges across the life course.
- (ID 48), Multimorbidity challenges people-centred care
- (ID 258), Ethical challenges in dementia informal care and research: qualitative study in the Republic of Moldova
- (ID 171), Integrated care for mental health needs of children and youth: evidence from a systematic review
- (ID 271), Prevalence and effectiveness of digital mental health interventions for adolescents worldwide
Healthcare systems across Europe and beyond are grappling with workforce shortages, burnout, and imbalanced care delivery. This session explores evidence from diverse studies examining strategies to retain health professionals, improve working conditions, and revalue care work.
Case studies from seven European countries reveal how mentorship, career pathways, and financial incentives influence junior doctor retention in underserved areas. Comparative analysis from Thailand highlights how job satisfaction and turnover intention vary significantly by experience, emphasising the need for tailored HR policies. Research on workforce optimisation in Quebec and Europe shows that strategic scheduling and deployment positively affect staff wellness and service sustainability.
Further studies focus on ecosystemic workplace health. A large-scale assessment of 12 public hospitals underscores the urgency of addressing psychosocial risks and burnout through inclusive leadership and safe environments. Meanwhile, France’s Buurtzorg-inspired homecare model demonstrates how aligning payment systems with ethical care values fosters nurse satisfaction, relational care, and better outcomes.
Together, these insights call for a holistic rethinking of healthcare work—prioritizing supportive structures, ethical alignment, and sustainable investment in the professionals at the heart of care.
- (ID 128), Retention Crisis: Analysing Strategies to Retain Junior Doctors in Europe’s Underserved Regions. MD Anna Klesmite-Bluma (European Junior Doctors Association, Brussels, Belgium)
- (ID 256), Job satisfaction and turnover intention among healthcare professionals in Thailand: A comparative analysis of experienced vs less experienced. Mr Nantapong Butakhieo (The Education University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong)
- (ID 343), Optimising Workforce Wellness; Strategies for Effective Planning Scheduling and Deployment. Dr Shawn Drake (Workforce Edge, Montreal, Québec, Canada)
- (ID 221), Are Healthcare Organizations Healthy Work Ecosystems? Health and Wellbeing of Health Professionals. Prof Tania Gaspar (Universidade Lusofona/SPIC, Lisbon, Portugal; CHRC/Lisbon NOVA University, Lisbon, Portugal)
- (ID 32), Time to care: can financial incentives alone cultivate caring?
More information will be available soon
The growing complexity of healthcare challenges demands a shift from reactive crisis management to proactive, long-term strategies that ensure resilience, sustainability, and equity. This plenary will explore how health systems can evolve to better anticipate and address emerging needs, moving beyond short-term fixes to implement sustainable, evidence-based solutions.
Through a series of case studies, the session will highlight innovative approaches in three key areas: sustainable healthcare infrastructure, emergency care reform, and workforce development. These examples will demonstrate how different regions are redesigning care delivery, improving system efficiency, and strengthening health workforce capacity to meet future demands. This session will provide valuable insights into what it takes to build health systems that are not only more responsive and adaptable but also capable of driving lasting improvements in health outcomes for all.
It’s time to make some new connections over a cup of coffee
The effective management of respiratory diseases such as Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Human Metapneumovirus (hMPV) among older and at-risk populations requires stronger collaboration between research, practice, and policy. However, gaps in surveillance and testing limit our ability to understand the true burden of these diseases and hinder timely public health responses. Bridging these gaps calls for a united effort across sectors and institutions to translate evidence into action and drive systemic improvements.
This session will bring together experts to explore how research and practice can intersect to advance surveillance and testing for respiratory diseases such as RSV and hMPV across Europe. Attendees will gain insights from cutting-edge research and real-world experiences, highlighting opportunities for cross-sector collaboration to strengthen public health responses. The session will showcase new evidence on current surveillance gaps and explore how practical experience from national case studies can inform European solutions.
A key focus will be on fostering dialogue between public health institutions, healthcare providers, researchers, and policy makers to break down silos and promote joint approaches to improving respiratory disease surveillance. By highlighting both research findings and practical implementation experiences, this session aims to identify pathways for more coordinated, evidence-informed strategies that can be applied across health systems.
This session is supported by 
The views and opinions expressed by the speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Sanofi. Financial support does not imply endorsement of any specific views, products, or services.
More information will be available soon
This session is supported by 
More information will be available soon
It’s networking time! Connect with speakers and delegates
This session explores innovative strategies to enhance emergency preparedness and public health responses across Europe. Through diverse case studies, it highlights the importance of collaboration, cross-sector coordination, and inclusive practices.
Findings from the EU-JAMRAI 2 Joint Action reveal how operationalising a One Health approach to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) requires strong governance, stakeholder engagement, and better integration of environmental health data. Ireland’s BOTP-IPA Catch-Up Vaccination Programme showcases a flexible model to reach displaced populations, emphasising preparatory visits, peer support, and culturally sensitive delivery to boost vaccine uptake. A case study from Wales examines multiteam systems (MTS) in public health emergencies, identifying leadership, psychological safety, and shared identity as key factors in fostering effective cross-team cooperation.
Finally, research from Türkiye links safety climate to performance among pre-hospital emergency workers, showing how training, awareness, and communication enhance safety despite systemic challenges.
Together, these studies offer practical insights for strengthening resilient, inclusive, and collaborative public health systems in dynamic environments.
(ID 12) – Building One Health Management through collaboration: Key Insights from a European Joint Action on Antimicrobial Resistance. MSc, MPH Karina Rojas Salvador (European Joint Action on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections (EU-JAMRAI), Limoges, France).
(ID 160) – The BOTP-IPA Catch-Up Vaccination Programme: Enhancing Immunisation Coverage in Ireland. Dr Michael Hanrahan (Health Service Executive, Dublin, Ireland).
(ID 28) – Exploring Teamwork in Fluid Multiteam Systems (MTS): A Qualitative Case Study on Team Effectiveness in Public Health Emergency Response Teams. Dr Eva Krczal (University for Continuing Education Krems, Austria, Krems, Austria).
(ID 42) – The Effect of Safety Climate on Safety Performance in Pre-Hospital Emergency Health Services. Prof Dr Rojan Gümüş (Dicle University, Diyarbakır, Turkey).
This session presents innovative approaches to improving healthcare delivery, patient flow, and system efficiency across diverse national and organisational contexts. It highlights the role of data-driven methods, digital tools, and organisational redesign in enhancing performance and patient outcomes.
From the U.S., a structured DMAIC methodology successfully reduced day-of-surgery cancellations in a large hospital network, improving efficiency and generating $4 million in financial impact. In Italy, a benchmarking analysis of 39 emergency departments showed that split-flow models and targeted care segmentation can significantly reduce length of stay and alleviate ED overcrowding.
A new Healthcare Process Modelling (HPMo) approach introduced in France reimagines outpatient scheduling through anticipatory planning and optimised care pathways, reducing waiting times and increasing capacity without additional resources. Meanwhile, an analysis in Finland revealed how home care professionals spend significant time on care information management—especially highly trained staff—highlighting the need for more efficient digital solutions.
Indonesia’s qualitative assessment of health service delivery using the WHO framework emphasised the need for improved governance, equity, and continuity of care. Finally, an Italian oncology department’s deep analysis of waiting times led to measurable performance gains and offers a replicable model for managing supply and demand in high-volume clinical settings.
Together, these studies demonstrate how targeted interventions, innovative frameworks, and process optimisation can strengthen healthcare performance, enhance patient experiences, and support value-based care.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly seen as a valuable tool to support decision-making in healthcare. This session brings together findings from multiple studies exploring AI integration in hospital management, primary care, emergency surgery, and long-term care.
Hospital managers report both interest and concern regarding AI, citing its potential to improve efficiency alongside ethical and technical challenges. Evidence from international pilots, including Italy’s National AI Platform for Primary Healthcare and the EU iCARE-tool project, highlights the importance of ensuring data security, clinical oversight, and user-friendly design to build trust among professionals.
Other contributions underline the need for systematic evidence generation and knowledge sharing to scale AI innovations responsibly. In trauma and emergency surgery, global research emphasises ethical use, transparency, and governance as key to supporting clinical decision-making in critical care.
Overall, the session explores how AI can enhance healthcare delivery while respecting ethical, legal, and professional standards, offering concrete strategies to support its responsible adoption.
This session explores the evolving landscape of health workforce planning across Europe and beyond, with a focus on addressing global mobility, system sustainability, and planning innovation. It brings together country-level experiences and regional initiatives to illustrate how better data, forecasting models, and policy tools can strengthen health systems.
A novel HRH maturity assessment framework proposes a tiered system—Emergent, Developing, and Advanced—to evaluate and benchmark countries’ workforce planning capabilities, supporting better policy alignment and collaboration. Romania’s case study highlights shifting dynamics in health workforce migration post-EU accession, showing a decline in emigration and the country’s emergence as a key educational hub for medical professionals. Italy’s national methodology for calculating staffing needs uses real-time production and workforce data to guide resource allocation, ensuring efficiency across care settings. Meanwhile, the HEROES Joint Action maps workforce data across 19 EU countries, showing progress in quantitative planning and gaps in qualitative data use, such as the integration of digital transformation and worker wellbeing in forecasting.
Together, these contributions reflect the urgency of developing flexible, data-informed, and forward-looking strategies to manage health workforce needs in an increasingly interconnected and mobile world.
This session explores how collaborative leadership, adaptive governance, and systemic innovation contribute to building more resilient, inclusive, and high-performing healthcare systems.
Shared leadership is examined as a way to tackle “wicked problems” in healthcare through trust, reciprocity, and cross-sector collaboration—shifting cultures of care and enabling community engagement. Ireland’s Open Collaborative Ecosystems (OCEs), guided by the SL2-10X strategy, demonstrate how multi-stakeholder cooperation across government, industry, academia, and citizens can dissolve rising healthcare demands by enabling proactive, digitally empowered care models.
The HEROES Joint Action highlights how 19 European countries are strengthening workforce planning through shared strategies, peer learning, and skills development. Insights show progress in data use but emphasise the need for qualitative data and leadership training to drive systemic change.
Resilience is also addressed from an organisational angle, with a study from Lithuania identifying communication, support, recognition, and leadership as key drivers of staff wellbeing and crisis adaptability. Finally, the Catalan healthcare model shows how professional management, data transparency, and diversity of provision—not ownership—are key to achieving results and ensuring a responsive public system.
Together, these contributions offer actionable lessons on how collaborative leadership fosters resilient, adaptive, and effective healthcare systems.
This session highlights innovative approaches to advancing people-centered care through community engagement, patient voice, and inclusive health strategies across diverse contexts.
A qualitative study from Ghana explores caregivers’ perspectives on customer care, revealing that empathy, communication, and patient-centeredness are central to care quality—but often constrained by structural challenges like understaffing and lack of equipment. Similarly, a scoping review from the VH-COMSAVAC project shows that community-based hepatitis B interventions enhance patient experience and reduce disparities, though care team well-being and cost-efficiency remain underexplored.
WHO’s CHNAA guide, piloted in Iran, offers a structured, step-by-step framework for integrating community voices into health planning—supporting bottom-up decision-making and enhancing equity. A systematic review of RCTs on patient and family engagement in primary care suggests limited but growing evidence of impact, calling for stronger integration of engagement strategies in safety interventions.
In Italy, Tuscany’s PREMs Observatory demonstrates how patient-reported indicators—especially on nursing care—can inform performance management and strengthen accountability for person-centered care. Finally, a theory-driven evaluation of France’s first smoke-free campus initiative reveals how communication, cessation support, and stakeholder engagement drive behavioural change, institutional leadership, and policy diffusion.
Together, these contributions underscore the power of community-driven, inclusive models to transform healthcare delivery, promote equity, and improve health outcomes.
This session brings together diverse strategies aimed at strengthening quality of care (QoC) across healthcare systems, highlighting the importance of workforce wellbeing, simulation training, patient engagement, and governance reform.
Evidence from the “Healthier Teams, Safer Care” initiative shows how improving workforce conditions—through mental health support, fatigue management, and digital innovation—directly enhances patient safety and care quality. Similarly, simulation-based training in ophthalmology significantly boosted staff knowledge and confidence in managing anaphylaxis, underlining the value of multidisciplinary preparedness.
In the homecare sector, a study from England emphasises the need for person-centred approaches that balance safety, emotional support, and active involvement of service users and families. Meanwhile, French research investigates how standardised management practices across private healthcare networks can influence QoC—offering nuanced insights into efficiency versus patient outcomes.
Greece’s HQC-2 initiative demonstrates how co-creating a national strategy with regional health professionals and patients can drive quality reforms, focusing on governance, safety culture, clinical protocols, and inclusive engagement.
These contributions illustrate how quality of care can be elevated through systemic reforms, empowered teams, and meaningful collaboration with patients and communities.
We warmly invite all EHMA 2025 participants to join us for a convivial Welcome Reception, hosted at the École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique (EHESP) – Main Hall.
This informal gathering is the perfect occasion to meet fellow delegates, build connections, and ease into the vibrant atmosphere of the days ahead. Set in the setting of one of France’s leading schools of public health, the evening will blend local hospitality, light refreshments, and stimulating conversations.
Whether you’re a long-time EHMA participant or joining us for the first time, the Welcome Reception offers a relaxed and friendly space to network, reconnect, and set the tone for a collaborative and inspiring conference experience.
Let’s kick off EHMA’s 30th Anniversary edition—and the shared commitment to shaping better health systems for all.
DAY 2 – Thursday, 5 June 2025
Welcome to Day 2 of #EHMA2025!
This session features presentations of the shortlisted abstracts that are competing for the Karolinska Institutet Medical Management Centre (MMC) & EHMA Research Award, an annual award for the best contribution associated with a doctoral thesis related to health management.
The following papers will be presented:
- (ID 81) – Towards a hybrid patient pathway combining in-person and remote care: understanding when and how teleconsultation is appropriate and beneficial. PhD Amélie Loriot (Paris Dauphine – PSL University, Paris, France)
- (ID 95) – Taking action to improve pharmacy professionals’ health and well-being for patient safety . PhD Ivana Zimonjić (University of Belgrade – Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Social Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Legislation, Belgrade, Serbia. Galenika ad Beograd, Belgrade, Serbia)
- (ID 213) – Environmental health challenges: prioritization by socioeconomic cost as a tool to decision making. PhD Raphaël KERMAÏDIC (EHESP, Rennes, France)
- (ID 257) – All that glitters isn’t gold: examining how and why organizations collaborate to address wicked problems in healthcare. Dr Robin Peeters (Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands)
- (ID 316) – “Nothing about us without us”: An investigation into the conditions and mechanisms enabling frontline care workers to exercise employee voice. MSc Karin Kee (Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands)
- (ID 364) – The doings, workings, and meanings of caring networks: Disentangling a governance order in-the-making. Dr Oemar van der Woerd (Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands)
The session is facilitated by Dr Pamela Mazzocato, Co-director, Medical Management Center, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
More information will be available soon
This workshop is organised and brought to you by
The digital transformation of healthcare is reshaping professional practices, organisational structures, and patient experiences across diverse contexts. This session explores how digital technologies are both enabling and challenging healthcare systems, focusing on critical themes such as professional training, ethical dilemmas, technostress, value destruction, and the redefinition of professional roles.
First, we examine the potential of Artificial Intelligence and gamification through the EduMentor app, designed to enhance the training of healthcare professionals in an engaging and cost-effective way. The presentation highlights the collaborative development process and initial findings from its pilot implementation in the UAE, offering a replicable model for European contexts. Second, through qualitative interviews with healthcare professionals in public hospitals, we delve into the ethical complexities introduced by digital transformation in volatile and resource-constrained environments. The findings reveal key moral dilemmas—ranging from data overload to conflicting values—underscoring the need for systemic support to prevent burnout and moral injury.
The third contribution presents a systematic review of value destruction in digital health platforms. While digital tools aim to improve healthcare delivery, the study reveals mechanisms through which they can inadvertently erode trust, create overload, and exclude vulnerable stakeholders, particularly when miscommunication and family dynamics are overlooked. Next, we turn to the impact of technostress on General Practitioners, who are caught between clinical and administrative digital tools. By applying the Affective Response Model, the study shows how administrative technologies like electronic health records may hinder performance and well-being more than clinical tools, highlighting the need for better design and tailored support.
Finally, an ethnographic study of digital triage in disability care reveals how technology reshapes not only the act of caregiving but also the professional identities of nurses and the expectations of clients. This shift toward remote, sensory-limited care requires high levels of skill, trust, and adaptive capacity, challenging assumptions that digital care is a universally easy solution.
Together, these presentations offer a multidimensional understanding of digital transformation in healthcare, emphasising that while digital technologies can heal, educate, and optimise, they also bring new burdens, tensions, and responsibilities. A critical, reflexive, and inclusive approach is essential to ensure that digital innovation leads to equitable and effective healthcare for all.
This session explores how cancer care pathways are shaped by patient experiences, multimorbidity, system disparities, and participatory practices across diverse contexts.
The IMPLEMENT study examines oncology care for multimorbid older adults in five European countries, revealing variability in costs, services, and integration tools. In paediatric oncology, research on the hospital-to-home transition highlights tensions between medical protocols and caregiver needs, emphasising the emotional and logistical burdens families face.
A multi-national study on MS and cancer comorbidity shows that a cancer diagnosis does not significantly disrupt MS-related care, offering reassurance for dual-diagnosis management. In Romania, a mixed-methods study reveals critical gaps in cancer services due to “medical deserts,” pointing to the need for digital innovation and resource investment.
Research on scanxiety uses a design-thinking approach to identify patient- and relative-centred interventions that reduce anxiety throughout the scan journey. Finally, the PaRole OncO France project presents a participatory peer-support model tailored to oncology units, showing the potential of patient advisors to enhance person-centred care.
Together, these studies underscore the need for flexible, inclusive approaches to improve cancer care pathways and patient wellbeing.
This session explores how work environments, organisational support, and tailored interventions impact the mental wellbeing and resilience of healthcare workers and caregivers across various settings.
One study shows that flexible, integration-friendly work environments enhance employees’ perceived work-health balance (WHB), improving job satisfaction and well-being while reducing turnover. Surprisingly, even employees who prefer segmentation benefit more from integration, pointing to the value of autonomy over rigid boundaries. In long-term care, a cross-sectional study from Belgian nursing homes finds that missed care is linked to burnout among nurses and care staff. Managerial support significantly buffers these effects, especially for depersonalisation, highlighting the critical role of leadership in staff wellbeing.
Another study focuses on nursing students’ experiences with paediatric end-of-life care. Findings show deep emotional distress and gaps in training. Students call for more simulation, psychological support, and mentorship to develop resilience and competence in this emotionally demanding field. Systematic reviews from two EU-funded projects (S4R and WELL CARE) assess interventions promoting resilience in elderly care workers and informal caregivers. Most existing programmes focus on individuals rather than systems, with mindfulness and counselling showing promise. However, the lack of economic evaluations and system-wide strategies remains a key gap.
Finally, an ethnographic study on Portuguese palliative care teams introduces the concept of self-dissociation as a coping mechanism. Health professionals often neglect compassion toward peers, despite showing it to patients, due to role conflict and systemic pressures. This dynamic may weaken overall workforce resilience and calls for urgent action to better support caregivers.
Together, these studies emphasise the importance of organisational strategies, emotional preparedness, and compassion-focused support in sustaining a resilient and healthy health workforce.
healthcare systems across different settings and countries. Presentations cover a broad spectrum of performance domains—from financial and infrastructural efficiency to quality of care and population health outcomes—highlighting the importance of data-driven approaches in healthcare management.
The financial sustainability of healthcare institutions is addressed through a detailed analysis of teaching hospitals in Bulgaria, revealing trends in liquidity, capital expenditure, and profitability over a seven-year period, including the COVID-19 crisis. Complementing this, a Dutch scoping review identifies key performance indicators (KPIs) for physiotherapy primary healthcare organisations, proposing a dual focus on business outcomes and quality-of-care metrics for improved organisational sustainability.
The session also examines population health measurement in Italy, showing how the New Guarantee System’s regional indicators correlate with life expectancy and mortality rates, offering evidence for their policy relevance. Another contribution systematically maps rehabilitation performance indicators across high-income countries, exposing critical gaps and emphasising the need for comprehensive, contextualised evaluation frameworks.
From Australia, an action-learning approach within a Local Hospital Network illustrates how early economic evaluation methods can proactively inform service design and optimise acute care demand management, demonstrating real-time efficiency gains. Lastly, the session turns to facility management costs in Italian hospitals, highlighting the rising burden of utilities and maintenance, and stressing the role of benchmarking in infrastructure planning.
Together, these studies underscore the multidimensional nature of healthcare performance and the necessity of integrating financial, clinical, infrastructural, and systemic perspectives to support informed decision-making and policy development.
More information will be available soon
It’s networking time! Connect with speakers and delegates
We will explore how organisational and digital innovations can drive progress toward universal health coverage, reduce inequalities, and enhance healthcare accessibility. While significant advancements have been made in prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation, their full impact can only be realised through equitable access to innovation.
This session will showcase forward-thinking initiatives that are redefining care pathways—from optimising emergency care and integrating digital solutions to fostering leadership models that accelerate organisational change. By highlighting strategies that balance efficiency with the human side of care, the discussion will also examine the evolving roles of healthcare professionals in leading successful system transformation.
This session will be hosted by 
It’s time to make some new connections over a cup of coffee
This session explores how diverse health systems are strengthening governance, driving innovation, and advancing policy reform to meet today’s complex challenges. Case studies span from regional initiatives in the Western Balkans to EU-level harmonisation efforts and organisational practices across Europe.
The Western Balkans analysis identifies shared priorities—workforce development, digitalisation, and sustainability—underlining the value of stronger implementation and cross-border collaboration. At the European level, new Council of Europe guidelines propose a unified, pharmacist-led medication review process to improve safety and therapeutic outcomes.
In the Netherlands, research from over 150 healthcare organisations reveals gaps in innovation governance, especially in aligning strategies and fostering a supportive culture. A UK-based e-learning programme showcases how principle-led, integrated governance improves productivity and accountability across system levels.
Comparative research on delayed hospital discharges and MDTs in Austria highlights coordination and information quality as key to operational efficiency and patient care, reinforcing the need for structured, adaptable solutions across systems.
Together, these contributions showcase how governance, policy, and innovation intersect to shape the future of health systems, offering practical tools, strategic insights, and cross-country lessons for driving effective, sustainable, and patient-centred reforms.
This session explores how digital solutions are reshaping healthcare delivery, highlighting innovative telemonitoring systems, digital transformation policies, and the organisational shifts required for long-term integration of telehealth tools.
The ATENTO Telehealth Centre in Portugal showcases a scalable model for managing chronic diseases via remote monitoring and integrated dashboards, achieving early clinical impact and laying the groundwork for AI-driven predictive care. Similarly, an Italian paediatric hospital highlights staff perceptions of telemedicine post-COVID, underscoring the importance of digital training and policy support for sustainable adoption.
A comparative study of telehealth implementation in the UAE and France reveals how infrastructure, regulation, and cultural attitudes influence uptake. Another contribution identifies key challenges in telemonitoring rollouts—such as unclear responsibilities and data issues—and proposes a design canvas for structured implementation.
Finally, an analysis of XR-telerehabilitation adoption stresses the need to consider the perspectives of patients, clinicians, and developers, revealing hidden conflicts that can hinder scale-up and suggesting future research paths for broader adoption.
This session explores innovative approaches to strengthen care continuity and coordination across healthcare systems, focusing on integrated, interprofessional, and patient-centred models.
Insights from Ireland highlight how interprofessional teams for older persons’ care benefit from strong role clarity and collaboration but need better information flow, shared vision, and infrastructure. In Catalonia and Portugal, the Harmonics project demonstrates how high-value integrated stroke care, supported by digital tools and case management, can reduce fragmentation and improve outcomes.
A large-scale survey in Catalonia reveals how shared electronic medical records and organisational support enhance coordination between care levels, though challenges remain in effective use. In France, the maison sport-santé initiative faces coordination struggles, shedding light on how local implementation and social dynamics shape care integration efforts.
Additional studies from Finland introduce the concepts of patient journey disruptions and continuity of care strategies, proposing new models for managing complex care operations and identifying key drivers such as system architecture, care pathway design, and relational strategies to optimise care outcomes.
- (ID 184 ) – Interprofessional Collaboration amongst Interdisciplinary Integrated Community Care Teams of Older People-Testing Program Theories of What Works. Dr Éidín Ní Shé (Graduate School of HealthCare Management, RCSI, Dublin, Ireland)
- (ID 332) – Systemic implementation of Harmonics High-Value Integrated Stroke Care: Analysis from Catalonia and Portugal.
MSc Olman Elizondo (AQUAS – Agency for Health Quality and Assessment of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain)
- (ID 84) – Clinical coordination between care levels and influencing factors: an exploratory analysis in 41 areas in Catalonia, Spain. Franco Amigo (Department of Population Health Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, USA)
- (ID 88) – Coordinating health care pathway. Sociology of collective action in the field of physical activity for health.
PhD Nathan Ramos (EHESP, Rennes, France)
- (ID 124) – Patient Journey Disruptions as an Approach to Manage Complex Healthcare Operations. MSc Märt Vesinurm (Aalto University School of Science, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Helsinki, Finland)
- (ID 107) – Continuity of Care – How to go forward? MSc Anu Vehkamäki (Aalto University, Espoo, Finland)
This session explores innovative strategies to enhance care that is tailored to individuals’ needs, integrating perspectives from patients, caregivers, professionals, and policymakers.
A French-Italian study on Multiple Sclerosis Care Units highlights how multidisciplinary structures can support continuity and personalisation of care, aligning with patient needs and lived experiences. In Albania, primary healthcare reform demonstrates how integrated, people-centred systems improve access, efficiency, and equity—particularly through digital health and mental health service expansion.
The 4P-CAN Living Lab in Romania exemplifies how community-driven governance and citizen engagement can improve cancer prevention in underserved areas. A systematic review on multimorbidity confirms the value of person-centred care, though challenges remain in scaling system-level interventions.
Qualitative studies from Italy and Finland emphasise caregivers’ evolving roles in palliative and chronic care, stressing the need for multidimensional support strategies. Conceptual papers explore how identity dynamics influence collaboration between formal and informal caregivers, and how patients can be partners in quality improvement through co-diagnosis.
Finally, a Delphi study presents a new tool to assess the implementation of value-based healthcare (VBHC), supporting change management and aligning organisational strategies with staff engagement.
This session explores how innovation and adaptive strategies strengthen primary healthcare (PHC) systems to meet evolving population needs and systemic shocks.
A study from Bosnia and Herzegovina highlights how frontline workforce adaptability during COVID-19 ensured service continuity, underscoring the need for crisis preparedness, simulations, and regional cooperation. In Saudi Arabia, a review of AI integration in PHCs—aligned with Vision 2030—shows promise in diagnostics and operations, but faces regulatory, cultural, and workforce barriers that require new implementation frameworks.
A cross-country analysis of European tax-funded health systems (Italy, Spain, Sweden, UK) reveals divergent primary care models and identifies workforce shortages, digitalisation gaps, and rising chronic care demands as shared challenges. Similarly, a study from Sarajevo shows how management innovations at the PHC level supported pandemic resilience through rapid adaptation despite resource constraints.
Finally, a case study from Spain examines diagnostic testing and referral patterns across physicians in a large urban PHC centre. It reveals significant practice variation linked more to physician behaviour than patient profiles, prompting a call for harmonised guidelines and continuous peer learning.
Together, these contributions highlight the need for innovation, coordination, and digital transformation to build resilient, equitable, and efficient primary care systems.
This session explores how spending models, insurance schemes, ownership structures, and price transparency shape healthcare systems’ performance, efficiency, and equity.
A dual study from Türkiye and OECD countries examines health spending trends, showing GDP per capita drives public health investment in Türkiye, while in OECD countries, health spending has a measurable impact on economic growth. A second study links spending models with life expectancy and infant mortality, finding government-mandated models perform best, while out-of-pocket models correlate with poorer outcomes.
A systematic review on private equity (PE) ownership in U.S. nursing homes reveals financial gains often come at the cost of quality and workforce stability. Similarly, a Finnish study on MRI services finds that only detailed, provider-level price transparency reduces costs, especially in less competitive markets.
Further, analysis from China shows supplementary private health insurance reduces catastrophic health expenditure and expected poverty, particularly for older and urban populations. A German TCO study on latex-free surgical products demonstrates that while upfront costs are higher, overall cost neutrality and safety gains justify procurement shifts.
Together, these insights offer critical evidence for designing sustainable, equitable, and value-based healthcare financing strategies.
- (ID 29) – The Relationship Between GDP Per Capita and the Share of Health Expenditures in Government Spending: Evidence from Türkiye and OECD Countries. Prof Mesut Çimen (Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar University, Istanbul, Turkey)
- (ID 43) – Performance Evaluation of Health Spending Models Based on Infant Mortality and Life Expectancy During the 1980-2022 Period: Multidimensional Scaling and Cluster Analyses for Türkiye and OECD Countries. Prof Yusuf Çelik (Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Turkey)
- (ID 75) – Profit Over Care: A Systematic Review of Private Equity’s Impact on U.S. Nursing Homes. Dr Gregory Orewa (University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA)
- (ID 315) – Does price disclosure lower prices in private MRI? Dr Riina Hiltunen (Kela, Turku, Finland University of Turku, Turku, Finland)
- (ID 249) – Can supplementary private health insurance reduce vulnerability to expected poverty and catastrophic health expenditure?
Prof Jiajia Li (shandong University, Jinan, China)
- (ID 53) – Does banning Latex from surgery improve patient care and productivity? The insight into the Iceberg makes hidden costs and benefits visible.
Prof Dr Wilfried von Eiff (Center for Hospital Management (University of Muenster), Muenster, Germany)
In this workshop we will explore how Real-World Data (RWD) can enhance post-treatment care for breast cancer patients. After introducing the REBECCA 360 Platform, we will host an interactive World Café session where participants will rotate through discussions on integrating RWD into clinical workflows from various perspectives, including decision-makers, health authorities, tech companies, and patient organisations. Key objectives include evaluating the system’s acceptance, discussing scalability, and exploring adoption strategies. Your insights will contribute to shaping the future of digital health solutions for breast cancer care and support sustainable integration into healthcare systems.
This workshop will be run by a team of experts from 
The #EHMA2025 Social Dinner will take place at Le Grand Huit—a one-of-a-kind cultural venue that blends the charm of vintage fairgrounds with the creativity of modern-day spectacle.
Located on the historic grounds of the former SNCF railway workshops in Rennes, Le Grand Huit is more than a venue—it’s an immersive journey through time. Here, century-old carousels, traditional games, and whimsical set designs come alive in a space that celebrates both the legacy of the arts forains and the future of experiential art.
This year, the Social Dinner will embrace the opulence and rhythmic energy of the 1920s and 1930s. Expect jazz-age elegance and fairground fantasy as we gather for an unforgettable evening of vintage celebration.
🎷 What to expect:
– A festive dinner set in a magical forain universe
– Themed entertainment inspired by the Roaring Twenties and Thirties
– Vintage vibes, immersive decor
– A unique chance to explore the living heritage of Le Grand Huit
– A warm and lively atmosphere to connect with the EHMA community
🎩 Dress code: Come dressed to impress! Whether it’s a touch of Art Deco glam, jazz-inspired accessories, or full Gatsby get-up, we invite you to get into the spirit of the era.
Join us where the past meets the future!
DAY 3 – Friday, 6 June 2025
It’s the last day of #EHMA2025!
As healthcare systems face mounting pressure to reduce their environmental footprint, the need for sustainable and climate-resilient healthcare becomes increasingly urgent. Globally, healthcare is responsible for nearly 5% of CO₂ emissions—comparable to the output of one of the world’s most polluting countries. This session brings together diverse experiences and research to examine how health institutions can lead the way in climate action while maintaining high-quality care.
Drawing from the 10-year experience of the Green Hospital project at Fundació Sanitària Mollet (FSM) in Spain, participants will explore the practical implementation of sustainable infrastructure and service design—from renewable energy installations and waste segregation to digital health innovations that reduce emissions. FSM’s path toward NetZero by 2050 provides a concrete example of how sustainability can be embedded at the core of institutional strategy.
Complementing this case study, a systematic review of sustainability initiatives across healthcare organizations offers evidence-based insights into energy-efficient technologies, green procurement policies, waste reduction, and the shift toward biodegradable materials. These practices not only reduce emissions but also improve clinical and operational efficiency.
The session also addresses the managerial implications of embedding sustainability into healthcare governance. Interviews with top hospital managers in Sweden reveal gaps between ambitious climate goals and the reality of translating them into action within complex institutions. Participants will reflect on the leadership, cultural change, and multi-stakeholder collaboration needed to make sustainability an operational priority.
Finally, the session considers broader ethical and patient-centred dimensions, including the reduction of low-value care, the importance of shared decision-making, and the role of temporal structures in shaping the experience of chronically ill patients and their caregivers—highlighting the interconnectedness of environmental, organisational, and human sustainability.
This session invites healthcare managers, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to co-create practical solutions for sustainable healthcare systems that are environmentally conscious, socially just, and economically sound.
As health systems across Europe face increasing pressures from demographic shifts, digital transformation, and post-pandemic recovery, the evolution of professional roles is becoming central to improving healthcare governance, resilience, and sustainability. This session explores the rise of hybrid leadership profiles and redefined career pathways in healthcare, examining how professional identity, management competencies, and institutional frameworks interact in shaping the next generation of health leaders.
Drawing from diverse national and international studies—including the career transitions of French Medical Commission Presidents, the management capacity within the NHS in England, and a large-scale managerial training programme in the Romanian healthcare system—this session highlights emerging trends in career adaptability, inter-professional collaboration, and leadership development. The integration of clinical and managerial expertise is investigated through psychological, institutional, and organizational lenses, emphasising how hybrid professionals navigate tensions between care delivery and decision-making authority.
Key topics include the personality traits influencing managerial career choices among healthcare professionals, the role of Standard Operating Procedures in professionalising health management, and the lessons learned from implementing context-specific leadership training. Special attention is given to the value of flexible and boundaryless career models, mentorship, and lifelong learning as drivers of workforce transformation.
This session calls for renewed investment in leadership capacity, cross-sectoral learning, and competency-based frameworks that can address systemic challenges while empowering professionals to take on complex roles. It contributes to EHMA 2025’s overarching theme of ‘Taking Action to Improve Health for All’ by rethinking leadership and professional development as essential tools to build more inclusive, responsive, and sustainable healthcare systems.
The complex and evolving challenges faced by healthcare systems demand a profound transformation in how leadership is conceptualised, developed, and embedded across organisations. This session explores the critical role of education, organisational design, and professional networks in cultivating strong, future-ready healthcare leaders.
Drawing from a diverse array of national and international experiences—from Israel’s pioneering subspecialty in Medical Administration and Italy’s large-scale reforms under the Next Generation EU plan, to Dutch hospitals’ transition to condition-based care models—this session highlights innovative strategies to embed leadership across all system levels. It will examine how training programmes, professional networks, and benchmarking tools are shaping the next generation of healthcare leaders, with a focus on sustainable models for transformation.
Presentations will explore how benchmarking enhances accreditation and quality improvement in graduate education, how leadership behaviours influence organisational culture and employee engagement in hospitals, and how change management models guide complex institutional and technological reforms. The session also provides novel insights into the development of job profiles for medical, nursing, and operational leaders in value-based care, as well as the micro-foundations of professional networking among healthcare CEOs.
A common thread is the recognition that leadership is no longer confined to executive roles, but must be cultivated across disciplines, geographies, and professional stages. Participants will reflect on how structured leadership education, integrated accreditation standards, and strong professional networks can collectively reinforce organisational resilience, promote equity, and support high-performing health systems.
Achieving equitable, inclusive, and person-centred healthcare requires transforming both the systems that deliver care and the cultures that shape them. This session explores how leadership, institutional policy, education, and representation intersect with equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in healthcare across diverse European contexts.
The presentations examine systemic disparities and innovative strategies to address them. From analysing gender disparities in online visibility among healthcare leaders in Germany using AI algorithms, to understanding the lived experiences of women doctors in leadership across Italy, Croatia, and the Czech Republic, the session sheds light on how gendered narratives, welfare systems, and cultural expectations impact professional advancement and perception. In parallel, efforts to rethink inclusive care models for trans* patients highlight the critical need for co-designed services, inclusive language, and structural changes that affirm diverse identities and experiences.
Further contributions explore EDI challenges in education and policy. A study in the UK investigates how asset-based pedagogies and structural changes can improve diversity and inclusion in paramedic education, especially for ethnic minority students. In the Netherlands, a nationwide analysis of surgical cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic reveals that egalitarian health policies ensured equitable access to care regardless of socioeconomic status.
Collectively, these contributions emphasise the importance of leadership that is empathetic, proactive, and responsive to structural inequities. They call for inclusive training, participatory policy design, and digital and organisational transformation to address disparities and amplify underrepresented voices.
This session offers cross-sectoral insights and evidence-based strategies for embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into healthcare leadership, education, policy, and practice.
- (ID 15) – Gender disparities in online visibility: Analysing the online representation of female leadership in the healthcare sector using AI-driven algorithms. Prof Dr Stefanie Scholz (SRH University of Applied Sciences, Fuerth, Germany)
- (ID 51) – Health Management and women doctors to improve health for all. Dr Alessandra Spedicato (Anaao Assomed, Rome, Italy. FEMS European Federation of salaried doctors, Bruxelles, Belgium)
- (ID 130) – The rethinking of processes and structure for an inclusive care model expectations of trans* people. MSc, RN Esther Franquet Barnils (Fundació Puigvert, Barcelona, Spain)
- (ID 141) – Enhancing Diversity and Inclusion in Paramedic Education: Exploring Educator and Learner Perspectives on Asset-based Initiatives. Prof Amanda Rodrigues Amorim Adegboye (Coventry University, Coventry, United Kingdom)
- (ID 172) – Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on surgical cancer care disparities according to socioeconomic status. MD Roos van Vuren (University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Surgery, Groningen, Netherlands. Dutch Institute for Clinical Auditing, Leiden, Netherlands)
Transforming healthcare operations and systems requires innovative approaches to improve efficiency, quality, and adaptability while addressing the growing complexity of patient needs. This session explores advancements in healthcare operations management (OM), organisational change, learning health systems, business intelligence, strategic foresight, and innovation readiness across diverse contexts.
The presentations highlight the evolution of OM from manufacturing principles to patient-centric methodologies. A bibliometric analysis traces three decades of progress, from resource efficiency to personalised care, emphasising tools like Lean production, Six Sigma, and AI-driven predictive analytics. These advancements optimise patient flow, reduce waste, and enhance resource allocation while integrating data-driven approaches for tailored care.
Collectively, these contributions emphasise the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, data-driven methodologies, and participatory approaches to transform healthcare operations. They provide actionable insights for embedding innovation into healthcare systems to meet future challenges with resilience and efficiency.
- (ID 72) – Foundations to frontiers: charting the evolution of healthcare operations management and the patient journey. Prof Stefano Villa (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy)
- (ID 158) – Transforming relationships: how organisational change reshapes networks in healthcare. PhD Mario Masiello (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy)
- (ID 248) – Building learning health system capacity: Leveraging lessons from an evaluation of a SEPSIS Clinical Decision Support Tool. Dr Allyson Hall (University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA)
- (ID 162) – The design and implementation of a successful Business Intelligence system at a large teaching hospital. Dr Sara Melo (Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom)
- (ID 346) – +FUTUR: A strategic foresight approach for sustainable and resilient health and social systems. Mrs Rosa Vidal (Catalan Hospital, Health and Social Services Association (La Unió), Barcelona, Spain)
- (ID 247) – The Maastricht Innovation Readiness Approach (MIRA): Development, validation, and feasibility in long-term care organisations. Ms Monique van den Hoed (Department of Health Services Research, Maastricht, Netherlands. Living Lab in Ageing and Long-Term Care, Maastricht, Netherlands)
The digital transformation of healthcare is reshaping the way care is delivered, experienced, and managed across systems, stakeholders, and settings. This session explores the multifaceted impacts of digital innovation on healthcare through a series of case studies and systematic reviews focused on electronic health records (EHRs), artificial intelligence (AI), professional development, patient engagement, co-production, and regulatory compliance. Presentations highlight how well-designed EHR systems can improve usability and medication safety, while poor interface design may increase error risks. AI tools are shown to enhance clinical decision-making, personalise learning for professionals and students, and support the early identification of infection risks, reducing complications and hospital stays. Other contributions examine how digital platforms and mobile applications empower patients throughout their care pathways, notably in rehabilitation and chronic care management, promoting adherence and improving outcomes.
Several studies underscore the role of user-centred design, interoperability, and data security in fostering digital trust and adoption. Projects like H-PASS address the growing need for digital competence among health professionals, while value co-creation research emphasises the importance of meaningful collaboration between patients and providers in digital ecosystems. Policy-oriented research sheds light on AI’s role in drug development and the critical role of regulation, data governance, and workforce readiness. Finally, insights into co-production and bio-wallet implementation reveal both the potential and challenges of integrating digital health innovations in real-world settings.
Together, these contributions offer a comprehensive view of how digital technologies can transform healthcare delivery, education, and policy—while also illuminating the technical, human, and systemic factors needed to ensure their sustainable and equitable adoption.
The healthcare sector is becoming an increasingly attractive target for cyber threats due to their management of highly sensitive patient data and critical operations. During a cyber incident, healthcare companies face high stakeholder scrutiny due to their unique role as providers of life-saving services.
This interactive session will help hospital management teams broaden their understanding of the ramifying impacts of a cyber incident, equipping them with practical recommendations to inform effective decision-making and communications in a high-stakes situation. Drawing on Brunswick Group’s deep healthcare and cyber expertise, this practical case study will present participants with a fictional scenario that will test their familiarity with cyber response protocols and processes, as well as enhance their ability to make decisions on ambiguous information and communicate effectively during a crisis to mitigate its potential fallout.
This workshop will be hosted by 
It’s time to make some new connections over a cup of coffee
The prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants remains a priority for healthcare systems across Europe, yet significant disparities persist in the adoption of long-acting monoclonal antibody (mAb) prophylaxis. This session, hosted in partnership with SANOFI Pharmaceuticals, will bring together medical and non-medical healthcare professionals participating in RSV diagnosis, treatment, care pathway coordination and financing to examine the regulatory pathways, funding mechanisms, integration challenges and stakeholder engagement strategies, shaping successful execution.
The session will commence with a presentation of findings from EHMA’s ReSolVe II study, which evaluates the extent of full-scale RSV prophylaxis programmes in Italy, Spain, Germany and France, identifying enablers and obstacles, alongside with overall systems’ readiness. Following this, participants will engage in a structured discussion, with delegates from healthcare systems with established RSV immunisation programmes and those assessing or in the early phases of adoption. Through a structured discussion format, representatives will address factors related to policies and funding, health system integration and education and awareness.
Collected insights will be synthesised in real-time, producing a mapping of feasible policy approaches and their applicability across diverse healthcare systems. The session will conclude with a review of emergent strategies, thereby equipping participants with actionable knowledge to inform policy decisions and the sustainable expansion of RSV prophylaxis programmes.
In collaboration with 
This session will explore evidence-based strategies and policy interventions to improve adult vaccination uptake, with a particular focus on pneumococcal vaccination, drawing insights from successful national and regional approaches.
Pneumococcal infections remain a significant yet preventable burden on European health systems, particularly among high-risk adult populations. Despite the availability of effective vaccines, coverage rates remain suboptimal, with disparities in access and policy implementation across countries.
The discussion will bring together health system leaders, policymakers, immunisation experts and civil society organisations to examine key barriers and enablers to vaccination uptake, in a context marked by demographic and economic challenges and a renewed focus on EU’s security. The session will highlight best practices and policy levers that have successfully driven higher vaccination rates, as well as practical strategies that can be adapted to different health system contexts. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in an interactive Q&A, contributing their own experiences and perspectives to the discussion.
By fostering dialogue between health managers, policymakers, and researchers, this session aims to strengthen European adult vaccination strategies and ensure that prevention is recognised for what it truly is: a cornerstone of sustainable health systems and EU’s resilience.
Enjoy some French specialities while listening to engaging poster presentations
It’s networking time! Connect with speakers and delegates
More information will be available soon
The well-being of healthcare professionals is inextricably linked to the quality, resilience, and sustainability of healthcare systems. As burnout rates soar, absenteeism and presenteeism rise, and migration of health professionals intensifies, there is growing urgency to rethink how organisations support their workforce and align well-being with organisational performance.
This session explores diverse and complementary perspectives on workforce well-being, drawing on empirical research from across Europe. One key contribution investigates nurse job crafting through the lens of work orientations—patient-dominant, team-integrated, and self-dominant—showing how individual meaning-making shapes adaptive responses to systemic challenges. These insights offer a fresh approach to understanding nurse retention and engagement beyond traditional factors such as workload and leadership.
A comparative study of hospitals in Jordan and Hungary highlights how job satisfaction, communication gaps, and leadership structures influence employee voice and organisational outcomes. Findings show that a disconnect between middle and top managers—compounded by limited feedback loops—exacerbates dissatisfaction, while effective local communication and recognition help sustain motivation.
Additional contributions examine clinician engagement and burnout using the Dynamic Performance Management framework, proposing systems-based strategies to improve alignment between clinicians and organisational goals. This includes recognising engagement as a key performance driver, and burnout as both a cause and consequence of systemic inefficiencies.
Addressing well-being from a broader public health perspective, a scoping review of non-pharmaceutical interventions across healthcare settings identifies emerging trends in promoting mental health, reducing burnout, and encouraging healthier working environments. Yet, it reveals a striking lack of interventions targeting physical health, underlining an overlooked area in healthcare workforce well-being.
The session also investigates the economic costs of poor health among hospital staff, with evidence from France estimating €4.5 billion in annual productivity losses due to absenteeism and presenteeism. A final comparative study from Italy offers fresh data on the motivations driving healthcare professionals to migrate, highlighting the need for both structural reforms and immediate measures like improved compensation, psychological support, and career development pathways.
Together, these contributions highlight a central message: healthcare performance cannot be disentangled from workforce well-being. Addressing burnout, improving job satisfaction, and creating learning cultures are not only ethical imperatives—they are strategic investments in the sustainability and effectiveness of health systems.
As health systems across Europe face increasing complexity—from digital transformation and workforce shortages to sustainability, demographic change, and cross-border health threats—there is a growing imperative to rethink governance and policy frameworks. This session explores innovative approaches to health governance and strategic policymaking that can support more integrated, resilient, and patient-centred systems.
The session opens with a focus on strategic planning in the context of care integration, using the Portuguese reform of Local Health Units (LHUs) as a case study. It highlights how strategic foresight, population needs analysis, and participatory planning processes can guide the successful implementation of integrated models of care—even amidst growing uncertainties such as climate crises and aging populations.
At a macro level, a correlation study of governance indicators and life expectancy across European countries reveals a strong link between quality governance (e.g. transparency, accountability, and effectiveness) and better health outcomes. This reinforces the role of governance as a determinant of health and supports calls for more systemic alignment between health performance and public sector integrity.
Complementing this, contributions explore EU-level health policy relations with neighbouring countries, offering a framework to enhance cross-border cooperation. Using typologies of collaboration (e.g. with Switzerland, Norway, and Ukraine), the session presents governance models that could support more sustainable and harmonised regional health integration.
Policy innovation is also explored in more specific domains. A Delphi protocol for developing a Policy Maturity Model for Prescription Digital Therapeutics (PDTx) offers a roadmap for regulatory clarity, equitable access, and international benchmarking in digital health policy. Similarly, the HEROES project introduces creative visual tools as a way to support strategic thinking, co-creation, and collaborative learning in multinational health workforce planning.
Other contributions highlight experiential governance innovations: the “Tous Accompagnés!” serious game developed by EHESP to transform tacit knowledge into explicit learning in the social and medico-social sector; the role of hospital FabLabs, such as the HEPHAÏSTOS AP-HP in Paris, in driving sustainable and participatory innovation; and the XiA initiative, which enhances digital health governance through interoperability, workforce training, and the integration of Chief Medical Information Officers into hospital structures.
Together, these diverse yet interconnected approaches reflect a growing movement towards agile, data-informed, inclusive, and cross-sectoral governance in health. They underline the importance of empowering professionals, leveraging technology, and engaging communities to co-produce policy solutions that are not only innovative, but also legitimate and sustainable.
Ensuring equitable access to healthcare remains a critical challenge. This session highlights innovative, data-informed approaches to address disparities affecting vulnerable populations across geographic, social, and cultural contexts.
The Unfair Distance Index (UDI) developed in Tuscany quantifies inequalities in outpatient care access, revealing how rural populations face longer travel and waiting times, with added environmental costs. Similarly, the CARDINAL Study in Portugal uses geospatial and sociodemographic data to identify gaps in diagnosis and care for ATTRv patients, offering tailored solutions through interactive dashboards.
Among displaced populations, the phenomenon of ‘homebound medical tourism’ among Ukrainian refugees reveals systemic barriers in host countries—such as long waits, language gaps, and cultural mismatches—that drive patients to return home for care.
Other contributions explore behavioural and structural interventions: nudging strategies to boost healthcare worker vaccination; mental health promotion for rural farmers through participatory design; and tailored paediatric screening for FH using behavioural personas in Romania and Cyprus.
Additional insights examine global disparities in Mpox response strategies and propose a new, inclusive model of workforce intelligence that considers caregiving responsibilities as central to equitable workforce planning.
Together, these initiatives show that promoting access and equity requires not only better data and governance, but also empathy, personalisation, and systems designed around real lives.
This session explores how healthcare systems can integrate technological, environmental, social, and financial innovations to advance sustainability while improving health outcomes.
We begin with the development of biodegradable metallic implants from the USA’s NSF Center, which aim to reduce surgical procedures and healthcare costs. These smart, resorbable devices adapt to the body and dissolve when no longer needed—especially valuable in paediatric and cardiovascular care. Complementing this, a scoping review on reusable PPE assesses its environmental, financial, and infection control impacts. Findings highlight strong potential for waste and cost reduction, though implementation faces barriers like logistics and clinician acceptance.
A French study evaluates synergistic environmental public policies—such as low-emission zones and cycling infrastructure—that produce health, climate, and economic co-benefits. These policies show promise, but equity and public acceptability remain critical to success. From Romania, financial modelling of the national cancer plan illustrates how stakeholder-driven simulations can support implementation, align funding with needs, and promote equity for uninsured patients.
Norway’s “Smart Nutrition” project presents a digital therapeutic for obesity that combines AI with local health services. Preliminary data show positive behaviour change and usability, suggesting scalable potential for chronic disease prevention. Also in France, the ‘Sustainable Units’ project explores ecological practices within hospitals, showing that collective agency and supportive leadership foster green innovation—but sustainability depends on organisational structures and recognition of frontline efforts. Further, the ORANEAT project proposes a context-sensitive method to implement antimicrobial stewardship in nursing homes, linking social sciences with clinical insight to adapt strategies to local realities.
Together, these initiatives show that achieving healthcare sustainability requires multi-level, cross-sector approaches—combining clinical innovation, digital tools, environmental policy, workforce engagement, and adaptive governance.
This session explores how structural and geographic inequalities, institutional inefficiencies, and community engagement shape access to care and health outcomes—offering insight into systems change and people-centred approaches.
A case study from Pécs, Hungary, reveals clear links between socioeconomic status and the prevalence of communicable and non-communicable diseases, particularly in low-income districts. This confirms the need for place-based interventions and equitable service distribution. From the Netherlands, a qualitative analysis shows how artificial variability—caused by fragmented processes, unclear policies, and knowledge gaps—leads to discharge delays, even when rehabilitation beds are available. Addressing these internal inefficiencies is key to reducing hospital stays and improving flow.
In rural Tuscany, Italy, a study highlights how a strong Sense of Community (SoC) significantly improves perceived healthcare quality. SoC could become a policy lever for rural healthcare resilience, encouraging communities to co-own their health journey. From Romania, research on community health workers shows that increased vacancies for these roles correlate with higher marginalisation rates. Adequate staffing of nurses and Roma health mediators is critical to address health disparities in underserved regions.
In Southern India, spatial analysis of millions of health insurance claims reveals access barriers due to hospital centralisation. Patients often travel long distances for specialised care, exposing the limits of current health insurance coverage and underscoring the need to strengthen rural facilities. Singapore’s Healthier SG initiative shows promise in removing financial barriers to preventive care. Yet, disparities in enrolment—especially among ethnic minorities—highlight the need for better targeted outreach and engagement in preventive health programs.
Together, these studies illustrate that improving health equity requires a multi-layered approach, addressing geographic, organisational, and social determinants, while empowering communities as co-creators of sustainable, inclusive solutions.
Award Ceremony
- Karolinska Institutet Medical Management Center (MMC) & EHMA Research Award
This Award was established to stimulate early career researchers to engage in healthcare management research. At its 20th edition, the Award will recognise the best doctoral thesis in the field of health management.
- EHMA Awards for best European Paper, best non-European Paper, and Best Poster
Announcing EHMA 2026
Closing remarks
- President of the European Health Management Association (EHMA)