The Access Equity workstream aims to explore health economics, from the evidence base to payment and distribution models, getting patient organisations more centrally and formally involved in the entire process, and considering the behavioural science that can be applied to achieve all of the above.
About the workstream
The Access Equity workstream is set up to address the lack of access to treatment and care, and equity within that access, across patient populations as well as within local, regional and national boundaries. This workstream aims to consider not just pricing but also health literacy, the impact of patients’ socio-economic status, and the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders, especially on how to work with evidence generation and its validity for a complex network of different decision-makers and decision-making processes.
In the Access Equity workstream, ‘access’ refers to the ability to benefit from a thing1, either financial, physical, etc., while ‘equity’ refers to the quality of being fair and impartial2 across and within countries as well as on community and individual levels.
This workstream aims to explore, amongst others:
- Health economics, from the evidence base to payment and distribution models,
- Getting patient organisations more centrally and formally involved in the entire process, and
- The behavioural science to achieve the above.
Composition
The composition of the workstream aims to reflect the diversity of key actors who have hands-on knowledge of challenges and possible solutions in this thematic area. This includes, but is not limited to: patients, healthcare professionals, industry partners, private companies, policymakers, researchers, and academics.
The general membership profile is built around required skill sets and may evolve throughout the co-creation process. The initial skill sets include the ability to ‘problem map’ salient points and their relationships, requiring:
- Hands-on knowledge of the topic area,
- Genuine willingness to learn about, and actively contribute to, a systems change culture,
- Experienced, analytical, open, hands-on ability to remove stakeholder ‘hats’, and
- Respect of Chatham House Rule and culture of conduct and engagement.
Each workstream brings together 16-20 individuals, which is broad enough to ensure a comprehensive overview, while small enough to be workable.
Workload
The mandate duration and meeting cadence are subject to collective needs and decisions. However, the preliminary anticipated commitment is three to four (3-4) hours per quarter, and the meetings are designed as virtual workshops requiring active participation.
The first meeting took place online in the first quarter of 2023.
Public outcome
As part of sharing the outcome of the work of the EHC Think Tank, the first paper from the workstream on access equity in which workstream members identify three challenges to be prioritised for future discussions about potential interventions is now published. Participants shared their perspectives to identify the following key challenges to achieving access equity: 1. Patient journey and pathways; 2. Behavioural change, mindsets and incentives; 3. Budget and resources. Skouw-Rasmussen, Naja. “Access equity: key questions and challenges – A report from the 1st workshop of the European Haemophilia Consortium (EHC) Think Tank Workstream on Access Equity” The Journal of Haemophilia Practice, vol.10, no.1, 3923, pp.56-61. https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jhp-2023-0011
If you would like to learn more about the work of this workstream, please get in touch with us.
1) Nancy Lee Peluso & Jesse Ribot (2020) Postscript: A Theory of Access Revisited, Society & Natural Resources, 33:2, 300-306, DOI: 10.1080/08941920.2019.1709929
2) Clark, J. (2019) How to Balance Equity, Equality, and Fairness, https://www.cui.edu/academicprograms/education/servant-leadership-institute/perfecting-the-practice/blog/post/how-to-balance-equity-equality-and-fairness
