ENSH-Global Standards Review 2015: Why and How!

Introduction: The ENSH-Global Network for Tobacco Free Health Care Services is an international non-profit Association with the aim to strengthen the role of healthcare services in the implementation of the Framework Convention of Tobacco Control of the World Health Organisation.

The ENSH-Global Concept is based on standards and a self-audit questionnaire and was developed on European level in 2002 and updated in 2007. The purpose of this concept and tools are to engage, motivate and support health services, independent of size, culture, and country legislation to effectively implement tobacco management policies within a healthcare setting. A European-wide evaluation in 2008 showed that all organisations who performed above the European median, were members of the ENSH network. To meet the changing demands in tobacco control and to integrate global experiences, ENSH-Global instigated a review and update of the standards in July 2014.

Methods: Initially, all national and regional coordinators were invited to participate in this review process which commenced with written feedback using a standardized form. Ten national coordinators participated in the process and they each recruited a national team of experts to cover both 'tobacco' and 'quality' aspects. On-going review of feedback and suggestions and updating of the draft standards took place in the frame of one personal workshop and seven online meetings of the coordinating team. During the review timeframe, all members were invited to input by returning feedback on draft versions which were circulated at two key stages. The final version will be presented in the annual General Assembly of ENSH-Global in June 2015. The new edition of the standards will be piloted in the next ENSH Fold Forum Process 2015/6.

Results: The updated Standards and experiences of the validation process will be presented with a focus on the core principles for implementation.