MSK & Arthritis News

Adopting the holistic approach

Guest blog by Professor Anthony Woolf, Chair, ARMA

[Republished from the NHS England blog]

Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions have a huge negative impact on the health of the population.  People with MSK problems making a first approach to health services can find it difficult to access the right support and some experience delays in getting the correct diagnosis and management, which can result in prolonged impact such as ongoing pain and work loss.

Launched a few weeks ago, the Musculoskeletal core capabilities framework for first point of contact practitioners has been developed in partnership by the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA), NHS England, Skills for Health, Public Health England and Health Education England to ensure that people with MSK problems get what they have expressed they want – rapid access to diagnosis and early management advice, being fully involved in their care through shared decision-making and self-management. …

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September 2018 is International Pain Awareness Month

September 2018 has been declared International Pain Awareness Month by the International Association of Patient organizations (IAPO).

Pain Alliance Europe is trying to organize an event in Brussels, end-September, which would involve all bodies who have organized a pain awareness activity during September. This event will depend on the possibility of getting sponsors and the availability of MEPs and rooms.

More information and toolkits can be downloaded from the September is Pain Awareness Month webpage by the American Chronic Pain Association.

Consultation on proposals to amend the ABPI Code and the PMCPA Constitution and Procedure

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry has been working on changes to the ABPI Code of Practice for the Pharmaceutical Industry and the PMCPA Constitution and Procedure.

The proposed changes follow work done by a group chaired by Hugo Fry, Sanofi UK Country Chair and General Manager Sanofi Pasteur, established by the ABPI Board, as well as feedback from member companies, patient organisations and others.

The requirements of the ABPI Code of Practice and its administration by the PMCPA demonstrate the commitment of the pharmaceutical industry to benefiting patients by operating in a professional, ethical and transparent manner. …

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NICE consultation: PRP injections for osteoarthritis of the knee

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will be consulting on the safety and efficacy of platelet-rich plasma injections for osteoarthritis of the knee as part of its Interventional Procedures Programme (IPP). Public consultation is for four weeks and runs between 23 August 2018 and 5pm 20 September 2018.

NICE would be pleased to receive any comments that you may have on provisional recommendations and information on recently published literature not included in the procedure overview.

If you would like to comment then please do so via the NICE website.

Improving Patient Safety & Care 2019

Continuous Learning, Measurement & Improvement
6 February 2019
Royal Society of Medicine, London

This event is part of GovConnect’s ongoing series aimed at delivering key information and evidence-based solutions in order to assist the communication and delivery of the NHS 5 year forward view.

The inaugural Improving Patient Safety & Care 2018 conference will assess how the NHS are currently making a difference in regards to improved safety and care and how it intends to do so in the future through a transparent, constantly evolving patient-centred system.…

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Free webinar on effective communications between patients and physicians

Please join United Patients on 18 September 2018 for an important discussion on how patients and their physicians can work together to communicate more efficiently and effectively.

Dr. James Galloway (Rheumatologist, King’s College London) and Clare Jacklin (National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society [UK]) of Pfizer’s RA NarRAtive Initiative will join us to discuss findings from their global survey of patients and rheumatologists that identified key barriers to communication and how they can be improved.

Experts:

  • Clare Jacklin (NRAS Director of External Affairs – UK) Clare has managed a wide range of projects in National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) over the past 11 years with the aim of improving the lives of all those living with RA.
…

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Primary Care Rheumatology Society Conference 2018

“Improving MSK Medicine & Rheumatology“

Starts: Thursday, 22 November 2018 – 09:00
Ends: Saturday, 24 November 2018 – 13:00

Special Joint Injection Session (Pre-booked)
with speakers Drs Alan Walker, Arthur Mone, Simon McGraw and Ms Kirsty Smith.

Following the previous interest in injection workshops using cadavers, this year the PCRS is running
workshops on Thursday morning and afternoon, the first day of the Annual Conference.
As well as the traditional formalin preparations, there will also be Thiel-embalmed specimens this time, which give a flexible and more life-like experience.…

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Rising up the agenda

Musculoskeletal conditions are common – we all know that. But it hadn’t struck me until recently just how common compared to other long term conditions. 17 million people in the UK have an MSK condition. Compare that with the 850,000 with dementia and think about how much we talk about dementia. It’s a similar picture for other conditions: diabetes, 3.5 million people, cardiovascular, 7 million. Only mental health exceeds the prevalence of MSK conditions.

Of course, we are rightly worried about dementia.…

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NASS Northern Ireland Community Engagement

NASS will be returning to Northern Ireland for a Community Engagement Conference on 27 October 2018.

This is a new style event for NASS, bringing together healthcare professionals, people with AS, other organisations and researchers.

There are some fantastic speakers already confirmed, including Dr Philip Gardiner (Consultant Rheumatologist), Rhona Galway (Clinical Specialist Rheumatology Physiotherapist), Eithne Boyle (Senior Physiotherapist) and Elaine Wylie (Rheumatology Nurse Specialist).

There will also be a number of workshops run by members of the NASS team Jakub, Dale, Sally and Garry.…

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Sense checking draft knee arthroscopy policy

As you are hopefully already aware, a clinically-led programme called London Choosing Wisely is underway to develop pan-London policies for eight treatment areas, to ensure patients across London have consistent access to treatment that improves their health, based on the latest available evidence.  Full details about the programme, including a list of Frequently Asked Questions, are available online via: healthylondon.org/london-choosing-wisely. 

The London Choosing Wisely programme expert groups for knee arthroscopy, varicose vein procedures, and cataract surgery have now prepared a draft pan-London policy in their treatment areas.…

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