Why do we need to develop public health good practices in Europe

Issue/problem: In the last decade, considerable efforts have been devoted in Europe to policies and programmes standardization, hoping to reduce the constantly widening health gap between countries. Nevertheless, there are significant differences in the way European countries manage many public health (PH) topics, both at national and regional level. In many PH fields there are evidences that suggest what should be done, but in many cases practitioners do not have access to these advances or fail to implement them. This fragmented situation leads to inequalities and waste of resources. Description of the problem: Many successful experiences exist at the moment but a definition of the characteristics of a good public health practice in Europe is lacking.The development of such a definition could facilitate both a common approach to public health programs and the possibility to collect them in an inventory accessible to all interested stakeholders. Results: The development of this definition should acknowledge the existing fragmented European reality and the need to review criteria reported in literature (i.e. effectiveness, sustainability, transferability, novelty, coherence with practitioners needs); to collect and analyze existing experiences; to involve stakeholders (i.e. professionals, decision makers, citizens); finally to reach a consensus. As a result a collection of experiences easily available could facilitate dissemination of practices and development of networks based on practices. Lessons: In all activities to develop definitions and standards promotes common language, culture and tools, reduces variability and facilitates the exchange of experiences. A definition of good PH practices in Europe could promote the adoption of effective PH programs, reduce inequalities, and save resources.