In Lisbon, on November 1-2, 2025, the World Patients Alliance (WPA) European Meeting was held. WPA is an international organization representing patient communities from all continents and regions of the world. The meeting in Lisbon brought together a wide range of experts and representatives of patient organizations interested in the issues of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and patient safety monitoring in the European region. Participants included legal advocates specializing in healthcare law across different national health systems, healthcare leaders, representatives of governmental institutions and non-governmental organizations, researchers, medical personnel, policymakers, and public health experts. Representatives from non-European countries, including the United States, also attended the conference.

The main focus was on the health challenges of populations in the region, particularly NCDs [including cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancers, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, liver diseases, and others], which constitute the leading causes of overall and premature mortality in the European population [1, 2]. The examples of good practices presented, along with the exchange of views between patients and experts, were primarily aimed at developing common standards for prevention, early diagnosis, and effective treatment of chronic NCDs. The exchange of international experience is expected to contribute to more rational management of the risk of the spread of these diseases. Particular attention was given to the phenomenon of multimorbidity.

Active participants in the two-day meeting included representatives of the University of Kalisz (UK), led by its Rector, Prof. Andrzej Wojtyła, as well as members of the recently established Institute for Patients Safety Research at the UK.

As mentioned earlier, the meeting in Lisbon was a joint initiative of the WPA and the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe.

WPA: a global organization representing patient communities

World Patients Alliance is an international organization bringing together patients, representatives of healthcare providers, and individual members of medical professions from around the world. The organization aims to represent patient perspectives globally and to promote patient engagement in healthcare decision-making processes [3]. The organization’s main objectives include improving access to innovative and safe treatment. Patient-centered care and efforts to reduce health inequalities are among the key organizational priorities of WPA. Raising awareness and educating patients, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders involved in care are areas on which the organization places particular emphasis [3]. Key issues in improving awareness among stakeholders include health education, safety, rights, and equity – especially in terms of reducing inequalities in access to healthcare and health services. These goals are primarily pursued through organizing events, publications, and informational initiatives.

Another important objective is to facilitate dialogue between patients and healthcare organizations at national, regional, and global levels. Health policies and healthcare systems should be shaped based on patients’ experiences and their real needs [4]. One of the principles of the WPA is to promote cooperation between patients and healthcare professionals to ensure that all healthcare decisions take into account physical, emotional, psychosocial, and economic aspects. Moreover, actions should be based on individual, specific patient health needs and expected treatment outcomes. Patients should be provided with care that is safe, high-quality, evidence-based, and properly monitored [3]. At the same time, the value of care and empathy shown to a person in the role of a patient should not be underestimated.

Global, continental, and regional meetings and conferences are regularly held to address the actual state of patient safety in diverse conditions, particularly economic, organizational, and cultural ones. Currently, WPA brings together over 720 member groups across 138 countries [5].

Patient organizations from our country have been active participants in WPA activities since its inception. Ms. Jolanta Bilińska, MA, representing the UK, is a founding member of WPA and currently serves as a member of its Presidium and Treasurer.

It is with great pleasure and pride that we announce that the UK has become the first official scientific partner of the WPA. The agreement was signed in 2024, and one of the first and most important sessions in Lisbon was devoted to the presentation of the newly established Institute for Patient Safety Research within the structure of the UK.

The UK as the first official scientific partner of the WPA. Presentation of the newly established Institute for Patient Safety Research during the WPA Plenary Session

One of the most important sessions on the first day of the meeting was the ceremonial inauguration of the Institute for Patient Safety Research at the UK.

WPA President Andrew Spiegel and Director General Dr. Hussain Jafri introduced the new WPA partner, the UK. Both WPA leaders expressed strong appreciation for the university authorities, faculty, and students, particularly emphasizing the university’s active involvement in efforts to reduce health inequalities, its international cooperation, and its engagement in innovative research projects.

The Rector of the UK, Prof. Andrzej Wojtyła, addressed the participants, presenting the university’s academic profile, faculties, organizational structure, and the motivation behind establishing a partnership with WPA and creating the unique Institute for Patient Safety Research. Within the framework of this cooperation, the university plans to conduct research on the level of population health safety and to implement joint projects with WPA. The UK also intends to introduce a new course on patient safety within the curriculum of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, targeting students in medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, and public health. Expanding the curriculum to include patient safety issues aligns with the previously mentioned WHO and Council of Europe guidelines [6-8]. The development of medical technologies, ongoing epidemiological transitions, and emerging health challenges – such as multimorbidity – create new needs [9, 10].

These needs particularly concern the quality of healthcare services provided and communication between patients and medical personnel. These elements are crucial for ensuring both perceived and actual patient safety, as well as for supporting a safe and functional working environment for healthcare providers. Patient safety lies in the interest of both parties. The aim of the cooperation is to carry out joint global-scale research projects on patient safety. All efforts are intended to improve standards of treatment and patient care. These joint activities are expected to produce measurable improvements in patient safety across different regions of the world.

Another speaker in this session was Prof. Wojciech Drygas, Director of the Institute for Patient Safety Research, Professor at the UK, and a member of the Public Health Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He shared his extensive experience from many years of research in public health, sports medicine, and cardiology, and presented the research projects in which he is currently involved and which he leads. Among these, particular attention should be given to the research project on multimorbidity conducted by the UK, as well as an innovative project investigating sudden deaths among healthcare professionals (physicians and nursing staff) occurring during patient care.

An active participant in this and subsequent sessions was Ms. Jolanta Bilińska, MA, Deputy Director of the Institute at the UK and a long-standing leader of patient safety initiatives both nationally and internationally. She emphasized that Poland has been involved for many years in European initiatives aimed at combating chronic diseases. She also highlighted the importance of cooperation between the UK and the newly established Institute for Patient Safety Research with the WPA, in order to contribute to global efforts to improve and monitor patient safety.

Jolanta Bilińska chaired a session devoted to patient-centered care in the context of NCDs. This approach includes respecting patient preferences, particularly by ensuring education, comfort, emotional support, and coherent, integrated care. These elements are especially important after hospital discharge to ensure continuity of treatment.

She also participated as a panelist in another session on the same day concerning patient safety in the treatment of chronic diseases. It was emphasized that key aspects of safety and its management involve focusing on the prevention of potential errors and effective risk management. This requires improvements in the quality of care as well as education of both healthcare personnel and patients. These measures are essential for minimizing the number and consequences of adverse events and for improving treatment outcomes, for example in CVD, cancers, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. The session also highlighted the need to use WHO-issued guidelines and manuals for implementing education on patient safety for future healthcare professionals [6].

During the two-day WPA meeting in Lisbon, seven thematic sessions, plenary presentations, and interactive panel discussions were held, focusing on key elements of NCDs prevention, healthcare, and health promotion. Below, we present all sessions and their participants, with particular emphasis on global leaders in patient safety initiatives.

Session 1. United Nations high-level meeting declarations

Chair: Andrew Speigel – President of the WPA.

Opening of the session. Presentation of key declarations from United Nations high-level meetings on NCDs.

Participant:

• Penilla Gunther, member of the European association known as the Mission Board for Cancer. Penilla Gunther is a distinguished figure in European healthcare. Her social and professional activities have been closely linked with the healthcare sector, particularly with supporting patients. She has held political positions, including serving as a Member of the Swedish Parliament from 2010 to 2018. During this time, she actively supported healthcare and social care reforms. She led key initiatives such as promoting a joint strategy for Sweden’s biomedical sciences sector and advocating for equal care for breast cancer patients. She has extensive experience, including serving as a member of the Nordic Council and participating in international inquiries, including governmental investigations related to organ donation and transplantation. Penilla Gunther also contributed to the establishment of the FOKUS Patient group, a pioneering platform facilitating dialogue among stakeholders in healthcare and biomedical sciences. She has held positions such as President of the European Patient Safety Foundation and Vice-Chair of the EU SmartCare project. She has played a key role in various organizations, including the European Commission’s Cancer Mission Board and the International Working Group of All.Can. Through these roles, she has contributed to initiatives related to patient engagement and healthcare policy development in Europe.

Session 2. Patient-centered care in NCDs

Chair: Jolanta Bilińska (Poland), representing the Patient Safety Foundation. Jolanta Bilińska is a clinical psychologist and founding director of the Patient Safety Foundation in Poland, established in 2006 to promote safety measures in healthcare and support patient engagement in the treatment process. She is a founding director and board member of the WPA. Her professional activities focus on patient safety, NCDs, capacity building, and educational initiatives. She is also a lecturer at the UK and Deputy Director of the Institute for Patient Safety Research at the same university.

Participants:

• Anna Adwards (Dublin), advisor and expert at the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua);

• Lucie Lastikova, representing patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD);

• Linda Reinstein (USA) – Founder and President of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), the largest independent non-profit organization in the United States, established in 2004. Its aim is to prevent asbestos exposure and eliminate related diseases through education, advocacy, and support for affected communities. ADAO also advocates for a global ban on asbestos;

• Arne Eek (Estonia), representing the Estonian Stroke Patient Society.

Session 3. Self-care for physical and mental well-being

Chair: Janek Kapper (Estonia) – President of the Estonian Association of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

Participants:

• Manjulaa Narasimhan (Switzerland), WHO expert, scientist, and advisor in the field of self-care related to both physical and mental health;

• Jurate Svarcaite (Lithuania), representing the Association of the European Self-Care Industry;

• Veronika Ivancikova (Slovakia), representing patients with IBD;

• Cristina Perdomo Delgado, Assistant Professor at Rey Juan Carlos University (Madrid), board member of the European Network of Occupational Therapy in Higher Education. She is a Spanish occupational therapist whose research focuses on the application of robot-assisted therapy in rehabilitation. Her work aims to integrate technological innovation with clinical practice.

Session 4. Patient safety in the management of NCDs

Chair: Helen Haskel, member of the WPA. President of U.S.-based non-profit organizations advocating for patients. She collaborates with the WHO on patient safety and patient engagement, as well as with many other organizations in the field of diagnostics. Her long-standing research focuses particularly on adverse events in medicine and medical errors.

Participants:

• Dr Nikhil Prakash Gupta, Technical Officer in the Patient Safety Unit at WHO Headquarters in Geneva. He played a key role in the development and coordination of the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021-2030. He is currently leading global research and preparing a report on patient safety;

• Cristina Perdomo Delgado, as introduced above;

• Jolanta Bilińska, as introduced above;

• Luis Lourenco (Portugal), member of the International Pharmaceutical Federation.

Session 5. Prevention and early detection of NCDs in Europe

Chair: Kagan Cavusoglu (Turkey), specialist in organizational psychology and founder of the Red Ribbon Istanbul organization in Turkey. He is involved, among other areas, in strategic consulting on chronic infectious diseases such as HIV, viral hepatitis, and tuberculosis, which significantly impact public health.

Participants:

• Prof. Wojciech Drygas (Poland). From the beginning of his professional career, he has been involved in research and public health initiatives related to the prevention of chronic diseases and health promotion. He combines scientific research in epidemiology, NCD prevention, and sports medicine with media activities in public health. Prof. Drygas has participated in major epidemiological studies on NCD risk factors and health behaviors in Poland and internationally (including Multicenter National Population Health Examination Survey (WOBASZ), National Multicentre Health Survey (NATPOL), World Health Organization Countrywide Integrated Noncommunicable Diseases Intervention (CINDI) Programme, MOnica Risk, Genetics, Archiving and Monograph (MORGAM) Project, the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC). He is the author or co-author of over 550 peer-reviewed scientific publications in high-impact journals (including NEJM, The Lancet, Nature, and BMJ). Currently, he serves as Director of the Institute for Patient Safety Research at the UK and leads a large nationwide research project funded by the Medical Research Agency, focusing on multimorbidity in the urban population in Poland. In the past, he was Head of the Department of Epidemiology, Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the National Institute of Cardiology in Warsaw, and Head of the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at the Medical University of Łódź;

• Tatiana Reic (Croatia) – President and founder of the Croatian Association of Patients with Liver Diseases “Hepatos.” She is involved in patient advocacy and initiatives focused on liver disease prevention, patient education, and support programs for individuals affected by liver conditions;

• Zdenko Simonovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – President of the Association of Patients with Chronic Viral Hepatitis “B18.” A cured patient of hepatitis C virus, he was the first patient in Bosnia and Herzegovina successfully treated with direct-acting antiviral therapy in 2015. He is a member of the WPA.

Session 6. E-health, telemedicine, and AI in the management of NCDs

Chair: Victor Gascon Moreno has worked in the non-profit sector in multiple countries, including China (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region), Malaysia, Singapore, and Austria. These experiences have enabled him to gain extensive knowledge of the socio-demographic characteristics, healthcare access, and cultural determinants of regions in Europe, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Since 2014, he has specialized in projects aimed at raising awareness of digital transformation and e-health among non-profit healthcare organizations and patient advocacy groups. He currently serves as Vice President for Awareness and Operations at the Global Allergy and Airways Patient Platform.

Participants:

• Mr Ravi Ruparel works in healthcare-related initiatives focused on developing practical approaches in medicine. His experience spans multiple clinical and public health areas, including cardiology, diabetology, immunology, neurology, and oncology. He is also involved in patient advocacy activities and engagement initiatives aimed at understanding patient perspectives and healthcare needs through interviews and outreach programs;

• Snezana Sundic Vardic (Serbia) – Founder and President of the Serbian Association for Patients with Allergies and Respiratory Diseases;

• Alexandre Guedes da Silva (Portugal) – President of the Portuguese Multiple Sclerosis Society. He is a researcher and lecturer affiliated with Lusíada University in Lisbon. He has been living with multiple sclerosis for 10 years and is involved in activities related to patient representation and advocacy for individuals affected by the disease. His work focuses on improving understanding of the needs and experiences of people with multiple sclerosis and on promoting patient-centered approaches in care and support.

Session 7. Policy and advocacy in NCDs

Chair: Anna Edward, as introduced above.

Participants:

• Penilla Gunther, as introduced above;

• Begona Barragan (Spain), educator and businesswoman since 1988. After being diagnosed with a malignant sarcoma in 2001, she founded the Spanish Association of Patients with Lymphoma, Myeloma, and Leukemia (AEAL). The organization focuses on supporting patients affected by these conditions and providing information and advocacy activities. In 2010, she established Spanish Cancer Patients Group (GEPAC), an umbrella organization representing cancer patients and their families in Spain.

Summary

Participants of the WPA European Meeting in Lisbon jointly formulated conclusions to be presented and recommended to decision-makers shaping European healthcare systems. Speakers and panelists presented regional perspectives, examples of best practices, and practical solutions aimed at improving access to healthcare services, as well as their quality and safety. A notable element of the meeting was the inauguration of the Institute for Patient Safety Research at the UK in Poland. This initiative represents an effort to strengthen research and knowledge development in the field of patient safety, based on scientific evidence.

The discussions in Lisbon emphasized that patients are active participants in healthcare, and that their perspectives are an important component of care delivery.

By bringing together the voices of patients, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and leaders in the health-care sector, the meeting highlighted the potential importance of patient empowerment in improving outcomes in the treatment of chronic NCDs [11, 12]. In addition, patient engagement was discussed in relation to strengthening healthcare systems, improving the quality of services provided, and supporting progress towards more equitable access to healthcare [8].

References