Author: Garreth

Call for evidence: PHE and NGC review treatment dependence, discontinuation and withdrawal

Public Health England has commissioned the National Guideline Centre (NGC) to produce an evidence review of the literature on dependence, short term discontinuation and longer term withdrawal symptom from prescribed medicines, and their prevention and treatment.

The NGC is inviting stakeholders to submit research data or reports on two key areas to inform the review:

A) Collations of patients’ experi ences of the harms caused by prescribed medicines and ability to access and engage in treatment specifically relating to dependence, short term discontinuation or longer term withdrawal symptoms from the following prescribed medicines: opioids for chronic pain (excluding end of life /palliative care/cancer pain), benzodiazepines, Z-drugs, gabapentin and pregabalin (excluding epilepsy treatment), and antidepressants.…

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Improving mental health care for people with long term pain

The Q Improvement Lab brings together organisations and individuals from across the UK to pool what is known about a topic, uncover new insights and develop and test ideas. The Q Lab and Mind have just started a 12-month project focusing on improving care for people with a long-term physical and mental health problem, specifically looking at the experiences of people living with both mental health problems and persistent back and neck pain.

Further details about the project can be found here.…

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Global Spine Care Initiative papers

The Global Alliance for Musculoskeletal Health wishes to bring to your attention a series of papers published in a supplement of the European Spine Journal this month. They have been written by the Global Spine Care Initiative (GSCI), a sub group of World Spine Care, which in turn is a project of GMUSC.

This was a 4-year initiative, involving numerous individuals forming a GSCI Secretariat as well as a large delphi group that contributed to different papers in this 16 paper series.…

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EULAR updates hand osteoarthritis management document

On 6 September 2018, The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) published an update to a set of recommendations for the management of hand osteoarthritis. The recommendations report on new evidence made since a first EULAR report was published in 2007.

See the press release (opens in PDF) for the five overarching principles and ten recommendations that were agreed upon in the EULAR document.

Acupuncture for Osteoarthritis course dates 2019

New dates from the British Medical Acupuncture Society.

03 July 2019 – BMAS House, Northwich (South Manchester)

10 Sept 2019 – NCVO, London N1 9RL

A one-day course on acupuncture as a treatment for osteoarthritis, focussing on the hip, knee and other large joints.  Includes lectures, demonstrations and practical sessions to refresh existing skills to improve your expertise in this field.

This course is for regulated health professionals who use acupuncture in their practice and would like to revise or improve their knowledge and skills in the management of patients with osteoarthritis.…

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Back to school – Educators Guide to the Hypermobile Student

September always kicks off with a huge surge in requests to the Hypermobility Syndromes Association for assistance with children struggling with school. The HMSA produces a booklet called ‘The Educators Guide to the Hypermobile Student‘. This booklet, beneficial for parents and those in education, can help explain the impact of these conditions on the individual in an educational setting. The guide is available from the website shop, hypermobilityshop.org, and is currently at a reduced price.

Students going into secondary school often start having problems because of the environmental change.…

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Bone and Joint Week 2018 preview

Bone and Joint Week 2018 runs from 12-20 October 2018, highlighting the reality that musculoskeletal conditions are a big problem in the UK: they affect nearly everyone at some point in their life; they are the biggest cause of disability in the UK.

Musculoskeletal conditions can affect people of all ages, including children. If not treated appropriately, musculoskeletal conditions can impact daily activities such as working, walking, climbing stairs, cooking, personal hygiene and mental health.

During Bone and Joint Week there are dedicated days to highlight major rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions.…

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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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