On 4 March 2024, World Obesity Day, WHO recognized the Geneva-based WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research in the Field of Education and Long-Term Follow-up Strategies for Chronic Diseases as a dedicated and passionate partner in helping to reduce chronic health problems related to obesity and diabetes. The Centre has prioritized connecting with patients to build confidence and pathways to success through tested methods. For one patient, this approach has been life changing.
At 61 years old, Mrs C had been living with obesity and diabetes since 2017. As a committed and creative person, she visited the Centre’s specialized unit for therapeutic patient education. She arrived distraught and feeling hopeless about her health and her ability to manage her disease. Mrs C had been receiving traditional medical treatment but still had questions and concerns. The Centre welcomed her and made her feel like a person and listened to her difficulties with kindness and respect. With time, she learned to better understand the chronic nature of her illness and gained a sense of peace.
Discussing her unique treatment with the Centre, Mrs C explained, “What particularly helped me along this path was the sharing between peers during the structured teaching sessions in the care unit. I felt less alone in what I was going through, and I now feel involved in my treatment decisions, and they have a deeper meaning for me”.
A longstanding, fruitful partnership
Based at Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland, the Centre has collaborated with WHO since 1983. The Centre provides therapeutic patient education for those with chronic diseases, in particular obesity, and associated conditions like diabetes, to prevent complications.
“Having such a longstanding, positive relationship is a testament to the value the Centre brings to WHO’s work, and the quality of its support. The Centre has been at the leading edge of building methods and techniques to address an increasingly prevalent set of chronic diseases throughout the European Region. On this World Obesity Day, WHO is genuinely grateful for a partner that takes such a compassionate and powerful approach,” said Dr Slim Slama, Unit Head, Noncommunicable Diseases Management-Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment, WHO.
The Centre supports WHO’s work to review current evidence on long-term follow-up strategies for chronic diseases, helps to unify terminology and approaches, and supports reviewing evidence on the effect of therapeutic patient education on outcomes of major noncommunicable diseases.
Projects for a global effort against obesity
In addition to its work with patients, the Centre supports WHO in developing training activities on a global and local scale to increase the capacity of primary care workers. The training focuses on building skills to empower patients to manage their disease and its risk factors for long-term health.
Further information on therapeutic patient education is available from WHO/Europe’s introductory guide published in 2023 (see link).
“Collaborating with WHO in the field of education and long-term follow-up strategies for chronic diseases has presented a distinct opportunity to engage in an international collaborative network. This partnership has facilitated the training of patients and health-care workers in chronic disease management across diverse countries and contexts, fostering the exchange of experiences and best practices with other centres. This exchange of knowledge and expertise allowed us to refine our own patient education practices, ultimately elevating the quality of care offered to populations affected by chronic conditions. As the prevalence of chronic diseases continues to escalate globally, this collaborative effort becomes increasingly imperative in tackling this pressing health challenge,” said Dr Jorge César Correia, Resident, Geneva University Hospitals, and an employee at the Centre.