Working as a butcher in Alicante, Spain, Esperanza Bas was consistently straining her back. Whether it was from lifting loads, or standing for long periods of time in the same position cutting meat, her back was a constant source of pain.
Esperanza now has a plan that will prevent her back pain from returning. She’s embarking on a program that includes Pilates, swimming and an exercise regimen to strengthen her back, thanks to a plan she’s developed with the help of her doctor.
These tools are part of a pilot program in Spain designed to help people with joint and muscle pain address their disease early in order to reduce their distress and time lost at work or doing other activities. It’s working – for Esperanza and other patients just like her. The Early Intervention Clinics in Spain have demonstrated that every €1 spent on reducing disability through early diagnosis, referral and intervention can generate a total savings of €11 in health and social welfare.
Esperanza’s story is one of many shared in Euronews’ new series ‘Smart Care: Sustainable Health For The Future, In Partnership With Abbvie.’ The first segment features AbbVie’s efforts in Spain to help patients with joint, muscle and back pain address their symptoms early and get back to work.
Euronews will produce a total of 10 videos, each on a different European Union country and sustainable healthcare initiative, and air a new video each month through July 2016. The second video featured caregiver challenges in Norway.
Addressing Long-Term Health Challenges
As the European population ages, chronic diseases will increase and rising healthcare costs will threaten budgets across Europe. Finding ways to improve patient care while reducing costs will become urgent. By joining forces with Euronews, we can reach more people to shed light on the challenges facing healthcare delivery today in Europe.
“We are working with healthcare stakeholders from around Europe to address how healthcare systems can become more sustainable and meet the challenges of managing long-term conditions,” said Pascale Richetta, AbbVie vice president, Western Europe & Canada. “Our focus on improving patient outcomes and the extensive reach of Euronews enables these stories to reach 400 million homes in 155 countries, as well as audiences made up not only of patients, but also of key opinion leaders, policy experts and healthcare experts.”
About the Euronews Smart Care series: Sustainable healthcare is at the heart of Smart Care. Faced with an aging population and a rise in healthcare costs, the challenge is not only living longer, but also living smarter. We share healthcare innovations and speak to patients, doctors, specialists and policymakers in Europe and beyond. Read more.
Media inquiries:
Fanny Allaire
Email: fanny.allaire@abbvie.com
Call: +33 (0) 6 0891 9255
