Knowled3xchange – Improvement of the care dialogue between practice, education and science

As part of the Erasmus+ project “Knowled3xchange – Improvement of the care dialogue between practice, education and science”, three workshops were conducted in 2025 in Germany, Poland and Austria, focusing on language and diversity in care work. The project aimed to strengthen dialogue between practice, education and research and to promote knowledge transfer across Europe. Partners included FOM University of Applied Sciences, Medical University of Silesia and FH JOANNEUM – Institute for Health and Tourism Management. A total of 127 participants from healthcare practice, teaching and research engaged in exchange and joint reflection. The workshop series addressed “Language in Care Work”, “Diversity in Care Work”, and the development of project ideas. Participatory methods such as World Café and Future Workshops enabled the collection and translation of practical experiences into concrete recommendations. Results highlight that language and diversity are central to high-quality, patient-centred care. Respectful and empathetic communication strengthens trust, supports relationship-building, improves health literacy and positively influences adherence and well-being. At the same time, challenges persist, including language barriers, time constraints, lack of standards and uncertainties in addressing diversity. Key dimensions include migration, age, dementia, impairments and LGBTQIA+ identities, all shaped by organisational culture. At the same time, significant resources were identified: multilingual teams, empathy, culturally sensitive approaches, open error culture and interprofessional collaboration. Diversity thus affects patients, teams and organisations alike. The findings underline that language and diversity should be more strongly embedded in organisational strategies, as well as in education and continuing professional development, supported by adequate resources to ensure inclusive, patient-centred and sustainable care.

Key messages

• Language and diversity are central to patient-centred care, shaping trust, communication quality, health literacy and treatment adherence across diverse healthcare settings.

• Embedding diversity and language competence in training, organisational strategies and resources is essential for inclusive, high-quality and sustainable nursing practice.