When healthcare professionals express themselves: results overview of the qualitative phase of the HERO initiative

none4siIntroduction and Objective: The subjective experience of Health Care Professionals treating haemophilia is quite unexplored with little data in literature. The relationship between professionals and patients is highly relevant for achieving good treatment results. Using the qualitative data gathered by the Hero initiative, we will present the HCPs’ experiences while treating haemophilia patients, by highlighting the main issues that characterize this field of work. Materials and Methods: In 2010 62 HCPs from 7 countries (Brazil 10, USA 14, UK 10, Italy 8, Germany 8, France 8, Algeria 4) answered a semi- structured interview covering various topics (gratifying or frustrating experiences, the management of difficult situations, etc). Respondents were physicians (31), nurses (16), physiotherapists (9), social workers (3), psychologists (3). Given the very large sample size, a thematic analysis of the interviews (all in English) was performed with a specific software (T-Lab) that helps identify the dominating themes. Results: The 5 themes identified as dominant detected the factors that can stimulate growth, motivation and reduce work related burnout. The 5 themes are: “Policy, resources and network”, “Working with adult patients”, “Counselling and communication during diagnosis and reproductive choices”, “Coping with adolescents”, “Considering family dynamics”. The specific contents of each theme allows considering the psychological aspects - cognitive and emotional – that each type of professionals may be facing regardless of their geographic location. Conclusions: Looking at the different social /cultural contexts while treating patients with the same chronic condition, the study explores the main psychosocial issues that affect HCPs, regardless of where they live and practice. These factors affect their engagement, wellbeing, and perception of self-efficacy. Increased awareness can improve the quality of care, trigger more attention on the aspect of multidisciplinary teams and teamwork and reduce the incidence of burnout and psycho-emotional difficulties. This can be used to develop a "core curriculum” focused on cross-professional competencies and “soft skills” that can improve the comprehensive care for haemophilia patients.mixedPalareti laura, PotÌ Silvia, Iorio Alfonso, Cassis FredericaPalareti laura, PotÌ Silvia, Iorio Alfonso, Cassis Frederic