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ARMA International AffairsOur international membership is aimed at organisations based outside of the UK where we actively collaborate with other national and international organisations. Our membership keeps you informed and connected with developments across the globe and provides you with the connections and resources to help combat musculoskeletal disorders. Currently ARMA is a member of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the Bone and Joint Decades (BJD). |
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EULAR PARE Rep - Di Skingle Diana SKINGLE has had rheumatoid arthritis since 2005. After a career in HM Diplomatic Service that took her all over the world, she has now settled in London. She is a member of the EULAR PARE (People with Arthritis/Rheumatism in Europe) Board and is a Director of the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society. She is also Hon Secretary and Executive Committee member of Age Concern Chiswick, London. She considers that it is vital that the views of all those who use medical and welfare services should be at the heart of how they designed and delivered. She said “I think that it particularly important that the voice of those with musculoskeletal diseases should be heard loudly at local, national and international levels. It is only then that the complex needs associated with these chronic conditions can be fully considered and met.” |
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EULAR – the European League Against RheumatismARMA is the PARE member representing the UK. As the UK national organisation of people with arthritis/rheumatism we provide information on the different conditions specifically developed for a non-medical audience, and also offer contact between people with the same problems caused by their disease. Countries across Europe are represented within EULAR, which provides a diverse organisation which represents different approaches resulting from size, structure and activities, however all work with a common to improvie the lifes of people with arthritis/rheumatism. EULAR activities include lobbying at the european level, e.g., raising awareness of the disease, defending the civil rights of people with arthritis, or having access to the latest and most appropriate treatments. EULAR collect then collate information on the different musculoskeletal conditions conditions specifically developed for a non-medical audience. As the UK representitive ARMA acts as an information hub, disseminating information to the musculoskeletal community across the UK. |
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Bone and Joint Decade (BJD)The United Nations, the World Health Organization and 37 countries proclaimed the year 2000-2010 as the Bone and Joint Decade. Due to the success of this organisation it has now been extended to the Bone and Joint decades. This global initiative is intended to improve the lives of people with musculoskeletal disorders and to advance understanding and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders through prevention, education and research. The initial 10-year global initiative launched by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan urges governments around the world to start taking action to draw attention to the growing pervasiveness and impact of musculoskeletal diseases and to reduce the social and financial burdens to society. What is ARMA’s Role in the Bone and Joint Decade? As a supporter of the Bone and Joint Decade, ARMA is part of a worldwide effort to:
The World Health Organization estimates that several hundred million people already suffer from bone and joint diseases, with dramatic increases expected due to a doubling in the number of people over 50 years of age by 2020. Musculo-skeletal conditions are the most common causes of severe long-term pain and physical disability, affecting hundreds of million of people across the world. The extent of the problem and its burden on patients and society can be understood from some examples:
Please visit the BJD site for more information.
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ARMA International News
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International
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The EULAR Report 2011 |
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The Annual European Congress of Rheumatology hosted by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) is now recognized as the primary platform for rheumatology education and information exchange in the world. This year’s EULAR Congress was no exception. More than 16,000 attendees came to London from around the world to hear the best in rheumatology research and clinical advances. The scientific program contained presentations selected from close to 3,500 abstracts submitted. The EULAR Report brings you highlights of some of the very best of those presentations, focusing on the sort of research findings that change the way rheumatologists practice medicine. To download the report please click here. Many of the research reports you will find here also contain QR codes that link you, via your smart phone, to video interviews with the presenters. We hope you will enjoy these accounts of the latest in rheumatology research. For more such reports from important rheumatology meetings throughout the year, please visit www.rheumatologynews.com. For details about the next EULAR Congress to be held 6-9 June 2012, in Berlin, please visit www.eular.org. |
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Equality in Healthcare – Bridging the gaps Beirut, October 2011 |
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Held under the auspices of the Lebanese Ministry of Health, Lebanon was host to ‘The Bone and Joint Decade World Network Conference 2011’ which took place from October 14-16 at Le Royal Hotel. The summit meeting which was launched by H.E. Mr. Ali Hassan Khalil, Lebanese Minister of Health, Dr. Charaf Abou Charaf, President of the Order of Physicians, Prof. Tony Woolf, Chairperson of the BJD, Prof. Ghassan Maalouf, Medical Director of Bellevue Medical Center and Member of the Board of the BJD, Prof. Yasser Yaghi, Conference President and Mrs. Randa Berri, Middle-East BJD Ambassador, in addition to a number of local and international medical officials. It considered the gaps in the provision and quality of care for musculoskeletal conditions; identified the barriers to accessibility and proposed ways in which the BJD and supporting organizations can work together to close them. Mr. Ali Hassan Khalil, Minister of Health in Lebanon, inaugurated the conference and said, “It brings me great pleasure to be here and support such a prestigious and dedicated summit which strives to create a world where prevention, treatment and care of people with musculoskeletal disorders are of high standards. We hope that this congress which for the first time brings together people from different backgrounds to work together on the topic of musculoskeletal disease will help us better address this as a public issue.” The world-class summit featured an outstanding agenda with more than 15 key world opinion leaders as well as representatives from BJD National Action Networks, including experts from orthopaedics, rheumatology, rehabilitation, public health, patient organizations, societies and syndicates, journal editors and other relevant backgrounds. Issues raised covered topical subjects such as problems resulting from road traffic accidents, the impact of aging populations on our societies, improving medical education, as well as the importance of public involvement and partnership between all stakeholders in raising awareness, addressing the right issues, and working efficiently to improve the life of our societies. The conference included presentations, workshops, social events, and also created and strengthened networks, providing a unique opportunity for people from different global regions to meet together. The Bone and Joint Decade World Network Conference 2011 also held a session that focused entirely on Patient Advocacy and provided a forum for patient representatives from around the world, in particular the local region, to meet and further enhance their agenda. This was a great opportunity to facilitate the development of patient organizations. In addition the need to develop priority for musculoskeletal conditions in the Middle East was the focus of a summit session. This resulted in the creation of the first Bone and Joint Decade Regional Forum bringing together professional and patient organisations from across the Middle East. |
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“Overcoming the challenges of getting around with a rheumatic or musculoskeletal disease”Every year EULAR and the Standing Committee for PARE offer the Edgar Stene Prize for the best essay on a previously determined topic. The Stene Prize is EUR 2,000 and includes travel to the Annual EULAR Congress of that year with hotel accommodation for up to four nights as well as an invitation to attend the Opening Ceremony and the Gala Dinner at the congress. The EULAR member organisations of PARE invite all people with a musculoskeletal disease in their countries to participate in the competition by writing and submitting an essay on the topic of the year. Essays may be written in any national language and should not exceed two typewritten pages. Persons who are professionally connected with rheumatology are excluded from the competition. The best entry from each country will be submitted for the final decision made by the jury elected by the Standing Committee for People with Arthritis/Rheumatism in Europe. |
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The deadline for entries is 31st December 2011. Please submit your essay to victoriaskingley@arma.uk.net. If you require any further information please contact Vicky on victoriaskingley@arma.uk.net We look forward to receiving your entries. |
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The next EULAR Annual European Congress of Rheumatology will take place from 6-9 June 2012 in Berlin. The annual EULAR congresses are now a major event in the calendar of world rheumatology. As have previous congresses during the last decade, Berlin 2012 will provide a unique event for the exchange of scientific and clinical information. It will be a platform to facilitate interactions between patients, medical doctors, scientists, health professionals and professionals representing the pharmaceutical industry both from within Europe and from around the world. In addition, EULAR 2012 will again welcome delegates from the Paediatric Rheumatology European Society (PReS) to a Joint Congress. We will also continue our initiative of closer cooperation with primary care physicians and professionals - a commitment we started in London in 2011.
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European Patients’ ForumEU project co-financed by the EU Public Health Programme |
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The European Patients’ Forum (EPF) is implementing, together with other six partners, an EU project co-financed by the EU Public Health Programme called “Chain of Trust”. Started in January 2011, this project aims to assess the perspectives of the main end users of telehealth services, i.e. patients, doctors, nurses and pharmacists across the EU to see whether and how views have evolved since the initial deployment of telehealth and what barriers there still are to building confidence in and acceptance of this innovative type of services. For more information on Chain of Trust, please visit the project website at www.chainoftrust.eu or contact Liuska Sanna or Walter Atzori . |
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One of the tools that the Chain of Trust consortium is using in order to assess the views of patients and health professionals on telehealth is an online survey. This survey, which is available in 11 languages, is aimed at both users and non-users of telehealth services and consists of two questionnaires, one for patients and one for health professionals. The online questionnaires can be accessed directly using the links listed below. Please choose survey language and type of survey you wish to participate (Patients or Health Professionals) Click here: Patients / Health professionals
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SupportEPF will particularly value your support in dis-seminating this online survey across patient and health professional groups to help us reach out to as many respondents as possible. We would be very grateful, therefore, if you could dissemi-nate this survey across your members and con-tacts. On behalf of the project consortium, we would like to thank you very much for your valuable input and for contributing towards a successful completion of the project!
The deadline for submitting the survey is Wednesday 20 July. |
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