ENhANCE - EuropeaN curriculum for fAmily aNd Community nursE

The ENhANCE Project aims to improve family community care through highly specialised nurses.

The ENhANCE Project will target the specific mismatch between the skills currently offered by nurses working in Primary Health Care (PHC) and those actually demanded by both public health care institutions and private service providers when applying innovative healthcare models centered on PHC. Starting from existing research evidence and results of ongoing EU Projects, a Professional Profile (PP) for FCN will be defined, as the EU benchmark for VET of FCNs. The competence-based PP will be the baseline for the definition of a European, innovative, learning outcome-oriented modular VET Curriculum for FCN.

Background

EU population ageing is a long-term trend placing many challenges at EU and national level. EU recommendations point out the importance of family and community in the ageing process, emphasising Primary Health Care (PHC), frailty prevention, early detection, and diagnosis. To face these challenges, many WHO reports underline the need of implementing new healthcare models centered on PHC, i.e. a first-contact, accessible, continued, comprehensive and coordinated care providing a gateway between the community and the health systems. The Family and Community Nurse (FCN) is also identified as a key-actor in the new PHC model.

Aims

Increase the specialisation level of nurses working in PHC Family and Community Nursing skills
Foster the development of FCNs curricula referring to a formalised EU profile based on WHO and EU politics recommendations
Enhance the shift from the old PHC model to the new healthcare models centered on PHC.