Lifelong learning for all is a declared policy aim of the European Union and its Member States. However one group of adults has been denied access to learning: patients forced to spend extended periods in the hospital due to severe or chronic illness. The potential benefits of learning activities during hospitalisation are undisputable.

Learning

• helps cope with isolation
• opens a window to the outside world
• eases reintegration into normal life
• potentially contributes to patients' mental and physical convalescence.

The overall aim of the eHospital project is to promote informal eLearning activities for adult patients in hospitals.


The Conference costs are covered by the eHospital project budget: Participation is free of charge.


The conference programme consists of three main elements:

1. Keynotes by experts in the fields of eLearning, healthcare and lifelong learning:
   The potential of eLearning for reaching new LLL target groups, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Peter Baumgartner, Donau-Universität Krems
   
   Hospitals as places of learning in the context of European LLL strategies, Alan Smith, European Commission, DG Education and Culture
   
   Patient education, new technologies, and the health system,
   Jan Gejel, Aarhus Social and Health Care College, Denmark
2. Presentation of the experience and results of the eHospital project
   
   eHospital project partners
3. Interactive Good Practice Sessions for sharing experience and in-depth peer discussions
   
   Providing eLearning for adult patients
   

   Session A: Organisational aspects: Cooperation of hospital staff and educators
   

   Session B: Technological aspects: eLearning technologies for patient education
   

   Session C: Pedagogical aspects: Hospital patients as adult learners.