How to tackle the staff shortages in health and social care? This was one of the topics addressed at the yearly TechMed event at the University of Twente. In November, around 400 MedTech experts, healthcare professionals, policymakers, entrepreneurs, researchers, and students participated in this event. The EUVECA project was presented as one of the best practices to educate future-proof professionals.
Healthcare system under pressure
Our healthcare system is renowned for its quality, but its sustainability is at risk due to significant staff shortages, particularly in hospitals and elderly care. With the World Health Organization projecting a global shortfall of 18 million healthcare workers by 2030, the urgency to address this issue is clear. In the Twente region, demographic challenges further exacerbate these shortages, leading to increased workload and stress among existing staff. By prioritizing the work quality and support for healthcare employees, we aim to foster a resilient and effective healthcare system for the future.
This session featured leading experts who discussed cutting-edge MedTech advancements and process optimization strategies that enhance workforce productivity and patient care.
How EUVECA can help solve problems
Marjolein den Ouden (Saxion university of Applied Sciences) and Eliane Mocking-Nieuwenhuis (University of Twente) presented the EUVECA project to representatives of the regional care organizations, knowledge institutes and local/national government.
We gave an overview of the project in relation to the megatrends and 21st century skills of health and social professionals. In addition, we showed a sneak preview of the learning activities and the edu4health platform. We finished with a “call to action” to participate in one or more activities and to collaborate towards a sustainable platform.
After the presentation, there were interesting conversations about how the learning activities can be integrated into existing lifelong learning programs. In addition, researchers were interested in collaborating in the future to develop learning activities based on their research projects.
Follow our work on the EUVECA project website www.euveca.eu and on our European Learning Platform www.edu4health.eu.
