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Public Health

Best practices

The European Commission has developed an efficient tool to identify and transfer best and promising practices within public health in Europe.

This approach is based on a mechanism anchored in the Expert Group on Public Health (PHEG), which consists of Member State representatives and has a broader mandate than its predecessor, the Steering Group on Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Management of Non-Communicable Diseases (SGPP).

The PHEG now also deals with public health challenges beyond non-communicable diseases, such as diseases like HIV/AIDS/tuberculosis and viral hepatitis, as well as interventions to limit the spread of such diseases, such as vaccination, and antimicrobial resistance. In the PHEG, EU countries and the Commission discuss jointly public health challenges and ways to address them across the EU.

A “best practice” is defined as “a relevant policy or intervention implemented in a real life setting which has been favourably assessed in terms of adequacy (ethics and evidence) and equity as well as effectiveness and efficiency related to process and outcomes”.

A "promising practice” is defined as “a policy measure which has already been implemented in a real-life setting, and which may serve as inspiration for others, but which has not yet been implemented on a large scale and/or has not yet been fully evaluated”.

The EU Best Practice Portal is a repository to facilitate the identification, collection and exchange of best and promising practices and their transfer on the ground. Any governmental and non-governmental organisations (national, regional or local) in the EU countries which are eligible to participate in the EU4Health programme can submit proposals for best practices and promising practices.

The programme, as a funding tool, supports the transfer of selected best and promising practices across Europe.

Implementation of best practices

Nutrition and Physical Activity:

Rare Diseases:

Mental Health:

Cancer:

  • EU Colorectal Cancer Screening - Implementation of guidelines within the screening programmes in Italy, Slovakia and Romania (technical support instrument)
    Related information : Health and long-term care

Integrated Care:

Diabetes:

Prevention of non-communicable diseases risk factors

Primary care

OECD references on best practices in public health