BACKGROUND: The survival rates for patients with advanced cancer have increased over time. Many patients experience symptoms and functional limitations that impair activities of daily living and limit quality of life. A number of these health problems are amenable to physical therapist treatment. However, physical therapists caring for patients with advanced cancer require special training and skills.OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to assess the educational needs and clinical uncertainties of Dutch physical therapists in relation to treatment of patients with advanced cancer.DESIGN: This was a mixed methods study.METHODS: A survey and 2 focus groups were conducted among physical therapists working in primary care who had previously received at least basic oncology training.RESULTS: A total of 162 physical therapists completed the survey. The most frequently reported educational needs were related to effective interprofessional collaboration (61.7%), knowledge of medical treatment (49.4%), and current evidence on physical therapist interventions in this population (49.4%). In the focus groups, physical therapists (n = 17) voiced uncertainties about treating patients with bone metastases, setting realistic goals, when and how to end a treatment episode, interprofessional collaboration, finding and using evidence, and using clinimetrics.CONCLUSION: These results support the need for specific education programs for physical therapists working with advanced cancer patients to increase the availability of high-quality oncology rehabilitation for this population.
Keywords: citizenship education, democratic education, teacher training,national curricula, social sciences- Citizenship education is in teacher training in the Netherlands linked to boththe pedagogical and didactic tasks of teachers.- The task of teachers to stimulate the development of values in students isaddressed a lot less often.- The idea of democracy and rule of law as a framework for citizenship is notmentioned in most knowledge bases.- As a result, some knowledge bases seem to lack direction, as if all opinionsand all ways of ‘dealing with diversity’ are desirable.Purpose: With this article we aim to provide insight into how citizenshipeducation receives attention in the formulated national curricula for teachereducation in the Netherlands and to what extent the different domains ofcitizenship and the different tasks of teachers with regard to citizenshipeducation are addressed.Method: For this study the knowledge base for all teacher training curricula atBachelor and Master level in the Netherlands were analysed. We looked at theextent to which citizenship (education) is addressed in teacher training and theways in which this takes place.Findings: The results of the study show that several domains of citizenship arementioned, albeit not often together in one knowledge base. Citizenshipeducation is linked to both the pedagogical and didactic tasks of teachers. Thetask of teachers to stimulate the development of values in students is addresseda lot less often. The fact that citizenship also involves moral development is onlymentioned in some knowledge base. Also, the idea of democracy and rule of lawas a framework for citizenship is not mentioned in most knowledge bases. As aresult, some knowledge bases seems to lack direction, as if all opinions and allways of ‘dealing with diversity’ are desirable.
This paper reports on the EU-project 'Professionally Networking Education and Teacher Training' (PRONETT). The key objective of the PRONETT project (2001-2004) is to develop a regional and cross national learning community of pre- and in-service teachers and teacher educators supported by webbased resources and tools to collaborate and to construct shared understandings of teaching and learning in a networked classroom. The reasons for the initiative and the design principles of the PRONETT portal offering a virtual infrastructure for the collaboration of participating students and teachers at www.PRONETT.org are presented. The initial pilots carried out by the project partners are described, highlighting the co-ordinating partners activities targeted at contributing to the local realisation of ICT-rich, competence based Teacher Education Provision. Results are reported of the evaluation and implementation efforts aimed at validating the original portal design and collecting information to inspire further project development and implementation strategies. We conclude by summarising the lessons learned and providing recommendations for improved and extended use and further dissemination of the project results and facilities.
In this project, we explore how healthcare providers and the creative industry can collaborate to develop effective digital mental health interventions, particularly for survivors of sexual assault. Sexual assault victims face significant barriers to seeking professional help, including shame, self-blame, and fear of judgment. With over 100,000 cases reported annually in the Netherlands the need for accessible, stigma-free support is urgent. Digital interventions, such as chatbots, offer a promising solution by providing a safe, confidential, and cost-effective space for victims to share their experiences before seeking professional care. However, existing commercial AI chatbots remain unsuitable for complex mental health support. While widely used for general health inquiries and basic therapy, they lack the human qualities essential for empathetic conversations. Additionally, training AI for this sensitive context is challenging due to limited caregiver-patient conversation data. A key concern raised by professionals worldwide is the risk of AI-driven chatbots being misused as therapy substitutes. Without proper safeguards, they may offer inappropriate responses, potentially harming users. This highlights the urgent need for strict design guidelines, robust safety measures, and comprehensive oversight in AI-based mental health solutions. To address these challenges, this project brings together experts from healthcare and design fields—especially conversation designers—to explore the power of design in developing a trustworthy, user-centered chatbot experience tailored to survivors' needs. Through an iterative process of research, co-creation, prototyping, and evaluation, we aim to integrate safe and effective digital support into mental healthcare. Our overarching goal is to bridge the gap between digital healthcare and the creative sector, fostering long-term collaboration. By combining clinical expertise with design innovation, we seek to develop personalized tools that ethically and effectively support individuals with mental health problems.
The PANTOUR consortium builds on previous knowledge and tools produced by the Blueprint for Sectoral Skills project/NTG Alliance and will develop new tools and methodology to address strategic and sustainable approaches and cooperation between vocational education, training, higher education, enterprises of the tourism sector, looking to boost innovation in Europe (in tourism, leisure and hospitality).Societal IssueThe aim of this project is to map and bridge the existing skills gaps in Green, Social and Digital skills of workforce in tourism, leisure and hospitality.Benefit to societyMaking lifelong learning and mobility a reality, developing innovative learning solutions and promoting inclusiveness and access to education. Promoting active citizenship, building equal opportunities and addressing gender equality, diversity and inclusiveness in targeted actions.The consortium aims especially at designing innovative and cooperative solutions to address skills needs in the tourism ecosystem, with the development of outputs such as: the Sectoral Skills Intelligence Monitor, the Tourism Skills Lab, Resource Books for Trainers, the implementation of the National Skills Groups, a Skills Strategy Plan for 2026-2036, among others. With the exploitation of its outputs, PANTOUR seeks to benefit job seekers, unemployed and employed workers from the industry, employers, SMEs and micro entrepreneurs, dedicating a special attention in reskilling and upskilling the workforce on future skills needs in digital, green and social skills.The number of people benefiting from this proposal will be over 10 million that work across the tourism and leisure sector in Europe.The consortium is a multi-disciplinary partnership which comprises 13 European partners: Industry Partners and Tourism Sector Representatives, Universities and Transnational partners. Project lead is CEHAT (Spain). The other partners are GESTLABOR (Spain), Turismo de Portugal (Portugal), Zangador Research Institute (Bulgaria), Technological University Dublin (Ireland), Federturismo Confindustria (Italy), VIMOSZ (Hungary), European Tourism Association ETOA (Transnational), Satakunta University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Ruraltour (Transnational), Landurlaub (Germany), University of the Aegan (Greece).
