BetterCare • COST Action CA22152

Dr. Shin Ushiro Webinar

bettercareditor — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 08:57:17 +0000

How Japan is addressing the challenges of caring safely for an increasingly older population

On 11 March, the BetterCare community had the pleasure of hosting an inspiring and highly engaging webinar on patient safety in home care in the context of rapidly ageing populations. The session was delivered by Shin Ushiro from Kyushu University Hospital, who shared fascinating insights into how Japan is addressing the challenges of caring safely for an increasingly older population.

Throughout the webinar, participants explored how Japan’s healthcare and long-term care systems are evolving to ensure safe, coordinated and high-quality care at home.

Dr Ushiro presented key lessons from the Japanese experience, highlighting innovative strategies, system adaptations and the importance of strengthening patient safety beyond hospital settings. The discussion generated great interest and offered valuable perspectives for professionals and researchers working in care systems across different countries.

It was truly an honour and a pleasure for the BetterCare community to host Dr Ushiro. The session was extremely enriching, and we are grateful for the opportunity to learn from his expertise and experience. 🌍✨

If you were unable to join us live—or if you would simply like to revisit the session—we are delighted to share the speaker’s presentation and the full recording of the webinar below. 🎥📄

Second Grant Period Report

bettercareditor — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:48:00 +0000

We are pleased to present the Report of the Second Grant Period of BetterCare. ✨
This document marks an important milestone for our Action, capturing the progress, consolidated achievements, and collective efforts undertaken during this stage. It has been an honour to collaborate closely with colleagues across our network, and we take great pride in the dedication and professionalism demonstrated throughout the period.

The report highlights key activities, scientific contributions, capacity-building initiatives, and the strong engagement of our Working Groups. It also reflects the steady growth of our community, strengthened through shared objectives, constructive dialogue, and the continuous exchange of knowledge and expertise. 🌟

We extend our sincere appreciation to all members who contributed to this work—whether through research activities, dissemination, training, administrative support, or leadership roles. Your commitment has been essential to ensuring the success of this second grant period.

As we move forward, we remain fully committed to advancing the mission of BetterCare. Together, we will continue to build on the solid foundations established so far, foster meaningful collaborations, and work towards even greater impact in the upcoming phases. 🚀

Working Group 4 (WG4): Care Receiver’s Safety Pieces for the New Care Economy

bettercareditor — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 12:57:27 +0000

Overview

WG4 focuses on care receivers’ safety in the context of deinstitutionalization, aiming to improve the quality of home care, support caregivers (particularly women), and promote ethical, organizational and training-based solutions for safer care practices.

Best Practices Collection & Guidelines

Status: In Progress

WG4 is currently gathering best practices, focused on existing gaps in the curricula to incorporate tools and strategies to empower caregivers for a safe caring and training needs and even adaptations at home to address the provision of safe care in the scheme of the new care economy.

Meetings

The first in-person meeting was held on February 27–28, 2024, at the Frankfurt House of Logistics and Mobility (HOLM), with 38 participants attending.

Online meeting took place on July 17, 2025.

Thursday, October 16 – Online meeting WG1 and WG4

Working Group 3 (WG3): Making Safe Home-Based Practices Happen

bettercareditor — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 12:22:56 +0000

Overview

WG3 focuses on developing practical interventions to prevent care errors at home and to provide structured support to caregivers following adverse events. Progress is being made across several key areas, including field research, stakeholder engagement, and training, all contributing to the development of a safer and more resilient home care system.

National Workshops and Case Studies

Status: In Progress

European case studies are currently underway in 22 countries using the CoCoPro protocol, which combines open-ended and structured interviews with informal caregivers. The aim is to explore real-life experiences, human errors in care, and home safety systems. Ethical approvals have been obtained in all participating countries. Results will be published in a joint e-book and in academic journals.

Guidelines

Status: Starting mid-2026

Practice guidelines will be developed based on a review of the literature and findings from interviews with informal caregivers.

Deliverables and Research Outputs

Conceptual Framework Paper

Status: To be submitted
A Conceptual Framework for Safe Home Care Provided by Informal Caregivers: A Double Moderation–Mediation Model

CoCoPro Protocol

Status: Completed
The Combined Cover Letters and Interview Protocol (CoCoPro) includes cover letters, two sets of open-ended questions, and a structured section designed to collect rich, comparable data on informal care safety.

Case Studies in 22 Countries

Status: In progress
Interviews with informal caregivers are capturing lived experiences related to safety, errors, and support systems. Results will be published in a joint e-book and scientific publications.

E-Book

Status: In progress
Comparative case study results will be compiled and published in a joint e-book alongside additional research outputs.

Guidelines for Safe Home Care

Status: Starting mid-2026
Guidelines will be developed based on case study data and literature, providing concrete, evidence-based support for informal caregivers.

Meetings

Frankfurt: First in-person meeting held on February 27–28, 2024, at HOLM, with 38 participants.

Lisbon: Second in-person meeting held on April 24, 2024, with 7 participants.

Online meetings: Several meetings held throughout the year.

Finland, June 17, 2025: WG3 presented BetterCare and the interview study to Sanna-Maria Kivivuori, Senior Consultant, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

Finland, June 18, 2025: Meeting with Lotta Hamari, Member of Parliament, presenting BetterCare and the transnational interview study.

Working Group 2 (WG2): Review and State-of-the-Art of Safe Care at Home

bettercareditor — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 10:40:47 +0000

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to share with you the latest updates from the BetterCare COST Action, highlighting the progress of our working groups in promoting safer, more supportive home care.

This edition includes key activities, research outputs, training initiatives, and upcoming events- all aimed at strengthening the role of informal caregivers and improving home-based care practices.

Take a look at what’s been happening across our network:

Overview

WG2 is dedicated to fostering international discussion and mapping the current landscape of
informal caregiving and home care safety, while developing shared terminology, evidence-
based training, and ethical, legal and social frameworks to empower caregivers and improve
care quality at home.

National Workshops’ Survey

Status: In Progress

BetterCare Survey on Informal Caregiving Practices and Home Care Safety. A comprehensive survey was conducted among 64 healthcare professionals across 28 countries to explore definitions, training gaps, and safety practices related to informal caregiving.

Key findings:

65% of countries lack a formal definition of informal caregivers.
Most respondents reported unawareness of structured training programs or national
strategies to reduce errors in home-based care.

Case Studies & Scoping Review

Status: In Progress

Caring at Home: A Scoping Review of Informal Caregivers’ Skills and Prevention Programs.

A scoping review analyzed 31 studies on informal caregiver training programs, with a focus on skills development and error prevention.

Key findings:

Most programs focus on technical skills, activities of daily living, self-care, caregiver preparedness, and their impact on quality of life.
Important gaps were identified in emotional support and the psychological aspects of caregiving.

During a recent session at the meeting held in Zagreb, a scoping review entitled “Emergency Management in Home Care by Family Caregivers” was presented. This was followed by a discussion on the planning of a systematic review focused on preparedness interventions for informal caregivers and their outcomes.

This line of research is currently in the planning phase and aims to further explore how to better support caregivers in managing emergency situations at home.

Glossary for Safe Home Care

Status: In Progress

Recognizing the need for clarity and consistency, WG2 is developing a unified glossary of terms related to informal caregiving and home care safety. This resource aims to support policymakers, healthcare providers, and caregivers by harmonizing terminology across the field.

A dedicated session was held during the meeting in Zagreb to review and refine the latest version of the BetterCare Glossary/Taxonomy. Experts provided feedback on individual items, and the glossary will be circulated again via email for further input using the Delphi technique, with the aim of reaching consensus.

The project is currently in the phase of collecting expert opinions to finalize the glossary and move toward the development of the BetterCare Taxonomy. Discussions are ongoing regarding the involvement of expert teams in this process.

Scientific Publications

Status: In Progress

Enhancing Home Care Safety
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhqr.2025.101143
Defining Informal Caregivers in Europe: Key Roles, Safety Challenges, and Training Considerations
This study brought together 61 international experts to define the roles and challenges of informal caregivers, highlighting:
- The growing importance of informal caregivers in the care economy
- The need for formal recognition
- Training gaps, medication errors, infection risks, and psychological strain

Technical Reports

Status: Initiated

Preparations for technical reports are underway to support WG2 findings and recommendations.

Meetings

First in-person meeting: February 27–28, 2024, at HOLM, Frankfurt (38 participants attending in person).

Second meeting: September 6, 2024, in Belgrade (13 participants attending in person and 5 online).

Online meeting: March 11, 2025 — discussions focused on glossary development, systematic review and mapping guidelines.

Third in-person meeting: June 26, 2025, at the University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Croatia.

Key activities included:

Presentations by local experts on “The Contribution of Informal Care in Long-Term Care for Adults”, which sparked rich discussions and exchange of experiences among participants from different countries.
A focus on mapping and evaluating existing national guidelines for informal caregivers through an online questionnaire. Small group discussions explored ways to develop user-friendly tools to help caregivers better understand their rights and responsibilities. Additional data collection through re-sent questionnaires was agreed upon.
Review of the latest version of the BetterCare Glossary/Taxonomy, with feedback collected using the Delphi technique to achieve consensus.
Presentation and discussion of a scoping review entitled “Emergency Management in Home Care by Family Caregivers”, followed by planning of a systematic review on preparedness interventions and outcomes for informal caregivers.

Working Group 1 (WG1): Network Promotion 🌍✨

bettercareditor — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 10:27:48 +0000

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to share with you the latest updates from the BetterCare COST Action, highlighting the progress of our working groups in promoting safer, more supportive home care. This edition includes key activities, research outputs, training initiatives, and upcoming events- all aimed at strengthening the role of informal caregivers and improving home-based care practices.

Take a look at what’s been happening across our network.

Overview

Working Group 1 (WG1) focuses on strengthening BetterCare’s visibility, reach and impact by supporting communication efforts, stakeholder engagement, and strategic international collaboration 🤝📢. Through coordinated communication activities, high-level events and engagement with international stakeholders, WG1 plays a key role in sustaining cross-border dialogue on safe, person-centred and resilient home care systems 🏠💙

Website & Communication Tools

Status: In Progress

Official BetterCare website: https://cost-bettercare.eu

BetterCare Podcast now online 🎙️: https://cost-bettercare.eu/podcast/

Annual and Final Reports

Status: Initiated

Preparations for project reporting and communication deliverables are ongoing ⏳✍️

International Workshops & Forums

Status: Completed

International Malta Meeting – March 17, 2024 🇲🇹

Co-hosted by the Ministry of Health, the University of Malta and Care Malta, this high-level international event focused on advancing patient safety by addressing the emotional resilience and well-being of the healthcare workforce 🧠❤️, underscoring the critical role that emotional support for care providers plays in improving clinical outcomes.

Participants from Germany, Spain, Malta, and Italy engaged in cross-border dialogue on improving support systems for care professionals and strengthening clinical outcomes. 🌍💬

7th Global Ministerial Summit on Patient Safety – April 3–4, 2024

Held in Mandaluyong, Philippines, the summit addressed international challenges in patient
safety, misinformation and workforce support.

As part of BetterCare’s strategic engagement, new partnerships were formed with national Ministries of Health, global advocacy organisations, universities and key institutions such as:

o World Health Organization (WHO): who.int
o ISQua – International Society for Quality in Health Care: isqua.org

This event contributed to a stronger global consensus on the importance of person-centred
care, healthcare workforce sustainability and system resilience.

BetterCare Presentation at the University of Medicine Innsbruck

BetterCare and the “Second Victim” concept were presented at the University of Medicine
in Innsbruck.

LinkedIn highlights: Cornelia’s post

Global Summit on Medication Safety in Homecare – Nov 28–29, 2024, Alicante, Spain

Attended by 43 participants in person and 59 virtually, this summit addressed challenges in
medication safety in home care.

Key topics included:

o Informal caregiver training
o Strategies to reduce medication errors
o Mental health support for care providers

Core Group Meeting – Key Updates and Next Steps

bettercareditor — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 22:08:44 +0000

The Core Group of the COST Action BetterCare met on 3 November 2023 to review progress across Working Groups and revisit pending deliverables 📘. WG leaders were reminded of the objectives outlined in the MoU and the importance of keeping work plans aligned with the Action’s timeline to ensure meaningful outputs.

💶 The budget overview highlighted allocations for WG meetings, publications, virtual activities, and dissemination efforts. A dedicated budget was also confirmed for the International FORUM planned for early 2026, envisioned as a multi-stakeholder event that may be hosted in Helsinki 🌍. Thanks to lower-than-estimated actual costs per participant, more in-person interactions will likely be possible.

📢 The meeting concluded with an emphasis on transparency and internal communication. All WG leaders were reminded to upload minutes, plans, and outputs to the shared folders and to use the website section designed for disseminating updates. A two-week deadline was set to ensure all pending documents are made available. With these coordinated efforts, BetterCare continues advancing toward impactful, collaborative outcomes 💡🤝.

Knowledge Sharing: Publications

bettercareditor — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 12:24:20 +0000

Knowledge Sharing: Publications

The BetterCare Network is committed to advancing knowledge on safety, quality, and risk prevention in home care across Europe. Through scientific publications, reviews, and policy-oriented research, BetterCare contributes evidence-based insights to support both formal and informal caregivers, policymakers, and healthcare stakeholders.

Below is an overview of our published work and ongoing research activities.

Published Articles (click to see each one)

Enhancing Home Care Safety
Journal of Healthcare Quality Research. Available via ScienceDirect.
Defining Informal Caregivers by their Characteristics, Safety Roles and Training Needs in Europe
Scientific Reports. Currently under review (second round of peer review).

Publications in Progress

SCR – Caring at Home: A Scoping Review of Informal Caregivers’ Skills and Prevention Programs for Safe Home Care.
Enhancing Safety for Informal Caregivers in Home Care.
Promoting Safety and Addressing Risks in Home Care: Consensus-Based Recommendations.
Safety in Home Healthcare: Key Issues for Formal and Informal Caregivers – A Brief Review.

Articles Under Development

Mapping Definitions of Informal Caregivers in EU Countries: A Policy Review.

Call for Participation: European Study on the “Double Victimization” Phenomenon

bettercareditor — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 11:11:04 +0000

BetterCare Action is launching a multi-country study on the “double victim” phenomenon, a concept developed by Prof. Reinhard Strametz and colleagues in Germany (Bushuven S, Trifunovic-Koenig M, Klemm V, Diesener P, Haller S, Strametz R. The “Double Victim Phenomenon”: SeViD-VI Study. J Patient Saf. 2024;20(6):410-419. doi:10.1097/PTS.0000000000001251).

Thanks to the collaboration of our Core Group, we have prepared a study protocol and a set of critical questions to deepen understanding of this phenomenon across Europe. We invite BetterCare members to participate in this new project.

What participation involves

Protocol & materials: The full study protocol is available below on this page.
Data capture & analysis: A platform managed by FISABIO will be used for coded data entry and analysis to ensure confidentiality. The link to the platform (for entering each interview) is included in the protocol document.
Target per country: Minimum 30 interviews per country (maximum depends on each team’s capacity within the inclusion criteria).

Ethics & approvals

The study is approved by the Research Ethics Committee of San Juan University Hospital (Alicante) — Committee Code: 25/043.
Each participating country is responsible for securing any local authorisations required by national regulations.

How countries can join

BetterCare members within the same country should coordinate to conduct data collection and local analysis together.
Use of results:
- National-level data will be analysed and used by each country node.
- The full, pooled dataset will support an international publication, with authorship for all contributors who meet the criteria outlined in the protocol.

How to participate

The material required to carry out the task will be sent to BetterCare members. To access it and request participation, please complete the form below:

Management Committee Meeting – Key Highlights (27 October 2025)

bettercareditor — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 08:43:38 +0000

The Management Committee of the BetterCare COST Action met online on 27 October 2025 to review progress and prepare the next steps for the project. Members examined the budget allocations for the second and third grant periods, ensuring that financial planning remains aligned with the Action’s priorities and upcoming activities 💶💼.

🗂️ The meeting also revisited the rules established in the COST Vademecum, encouraging participants to propose new venues for future in-person meetings. Leaders from each WG, STSM, and Training School provided updates on their activities and plans for the upcoming period, with the Chair presenting the reports for WG1 and WG4.

📈 Significant improvements were noted in information management, particularly regarding the integration of new members into the consortium. The committee also reviewed the deliverables already nearing completion and identified those requiring additional focus during the remaining two periods 📝⏳.

📚 Finally, the published papers, those under review, and the ongoing manuscripts with potential for future publications were showcased. This growing scientific output reflects the increasing maturity and collaborative strength of the network 🚀📖.

International Avatar School

bettercareditor — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 12:55:31 +0000

🌍 Welcome to the International School of Digital Avatars

Imagine learning with teachers from all over the world — interactively, online, and without worrying about language barriers. That is the vision behind the International School of Digital Avatars.

🎥 Watch our presentation video below to discover how we are transforming the way people learn across borders and cultures.

A New Era of Multilingual Education

At the heart of this initiative lies a simple yet powerful idea:
👉 one lesson, many languages.

Our international team of educators and professionals develops online seminars using AI-generated digital avatars. These avatars are capable of speaking multiple languages with natural gestures, facial expressions, and tone — creating a truly humanized and inclusive learning experience.

How It Works

📘 A script is carefully written for each seminar, including key concepts, examples, and practical exercises.

🧠 An avatar is created and customized to represent each teacher — complete with their gestures, facial features, and professional style.

🌐 Using advanced voice synthesis and translation systems, the lesson is replicated in different languages, while preserving the teacher’s intonation and expressiveness.

The result: one class becomes dozens of lessons, accessible to students anywhere in the world.

Breaking Barriers in Education

Through this technology, we aim to:

Remove linguistic and cultural barriers 🌐
Ensure equal access to quality education 🏫
Promote active learning through personalization and interactivity 🎓

Each avatar lesson feels like having your own private tutor at home — bringing warmth, clarity, and global connection to distance education.

Participation at Patient Safety Conference 2025

bettercareditor — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 10:27:17 +0000

The Patient Safety Conference 2025, held on October 24th, 2025, took place under the theme “Rethinking patient safety: Evolving roles and responsibilities in a changing healthcare landscape.” The event brought together international specialists 🌍💬 to examine emerging perspectives on how to guarantee safe and high-quality care across increasingly diverse health settings.

Discussions highlighted the growing complexity of healthcare delivery ⚙️, the rapid expansion of home-based care 🏠, and the shifting roles of professionals, patients, and caregivers in ensuring safety and continuity of care.

BetterCare (CA22152) contributed to the conference by presenting insights from its European network on medication safety in home care and integrated care systems 💊🤝. This participation underscored the value of collaboration, evidence-driven policymaking, and digital innovation as essential tools for supporting safe medication use beyond hospital environments.

The Action’s perspective reinforced the need to bridge clinical, social, and patient-centred approaches ❤️‍🩹 to build sustainable and resilient patient safety strategies across all levels of care. ✨🏥