Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance
Influencing policy and care together for best lifelong musculoskeletal health
Innovative multi-professional student placement project shows positive outcomes
A pilot in Allied Health Professions student placements, funded by Health Education England and facilitated by the Institute of Osteopathy, has shown how an innovative interprofessional approach can deliver positive outcomes for students and educators, ultimately facilitating improved patient outcomes through the delivery of multi-disciplinary care.
Read more on the iO website.
A new national trial is recruiting people with rare autoimmune diseases to measure their COVID-19 antibody response following at least 3 vaccinations.
The MELODY study is recruiting immunocompromised people to determine the antibody levels they develop in response to COVID-19 vaccination.
The MELODY study aims to:
Final update on the James Lind Alliance Psoriatic Arthritis Priority Setting Partnership
During the last two years the researchers running the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership have explored unmet needs in psoriatic arthritis, determining what is important for people living with psoriatic arthritis, their families and carers, and the healthcare professionals treating them. The project is now complete.
The results from this project will be used to guide future research. This infographic [opens in PDF] summarizes the project and its findings.…
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Psychosocial risks and work-related musculoskeletal disorders: exploring the links and prevention strategies
A new report explores the connections between psychosocial factors and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the workplace using data from the latest European Working Conditions Survey and European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks.
It finds that some psychosocial factors — such as working time, job security and support from management — have more of an impact on MSDs than factors related to socio-demographics, country or economic sector.…
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The Nuffield Foundation, in partnership with Versus Arthritis, has announced £4 million for new research funding to improve the social and economic wellbeing of people living with musculoskeletal conditions in the UK. Applicants should develop interdisciplinary proposals that can help identify, develop and enhance non-clinical policy and practice interventions.
The deadline for outline applications is 14 March 2022.
Find out more and apply via the Nuffield Foundation website.
The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Osteoporosis and Bone Health published a report into the long-standing postcode lottery in the NHS for osteoporosis care. The report highlights the scale of under-diagnosis, under-treatment and missed opportunities in the NHS, with a blueprint for change. Implementation of the blueprint in England and Wales could save the NHS around £287m over five years – a return on investment of around 3:1 – according to the Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS), which has supported the Inquiry.…
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How a research trial will support people living with knee pain and osteoarthritis though advice, exercise and knee braces
Knee pain affects one in four people over 45 years in the UK. The most common cause is osteoarthritis, but many people will suffer without getting the diagnosis.
Osteoarthritis and its symptoms vary a lot and negatively affect people’s daily lives. There is no cure for osteoarthritis, but with treatment, symptoms can be improved and allow people to stay active.
Wearing a knee brace is one of the options that could help by reducing the load going through the joint and improving its stability.…
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A new publication from National Voices Timely access to care: Principles for recovery argues for an inclusive, equitable and person-centred recovery, focusing on the whole person, in the context of their lives, and the whole system, and the context within which it is operating. There are three sets of recommendations: one for government and system leaders, one for people planning and delivering services and one for the VCSE.
Access the document here.
In 2016, the Centre for Epidemiology Versus Arthritis at the University of Manchester ran a large study, collecting data about people’s symptoms and comparing this to the weather.
Using this data, the researchers are now aiming to build a pain forecast. This will be like a weather forecast but used for predicting pain severity in the near future. Being able to forecast pain severity in this way will provide benefits for patients in the future.
In this second phase, a survey will ask people with chronic pain what information that they would be interested in receiving about pain severity.…
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The report, Driving Improvements in Axial SpA Services: Building Foundations through Aspiring to Excellence was produced and published by the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society (NASS), and launched on 22 October 2021. This is the first detailed account of service improvement projects undertaken by rheumatology teams across the UK as part of the Aspiring to Excellence programme.
Every team on the programme is working on a project that will improve diagnosis, treatment and care for patients with axial SpA.…
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