Did you know that your weight can impact joint pain? If you have knee or hip pain, you may be able to help researchers understand what people with arthritis want to know from their doctors about weight management and nutrition strategies to reduce joint pain. One of the Osteoarthritis Action Alliance's goals is to develop resources for individuals with osteoarthritis (OA) that provide them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to effectively manage their symptoms. We are beginning to develop patient materials that relate to nutrition and OA management; we are seeking input from people with OA to help shape the content of these materials and the format that would be most effective for adults with OA.
The president of the Sine Dolore Association, historic spanish partner of ACN, has been selected to form part of the Board of Directors of the Pain Alliance Europe (PAE), in which is involved since many years Cittadinanzattiva trought its EU branch Active Citizenship Network.
ADDCA, the historic portuguese partner of Active Citizenship Network, has been recently elected a new Board Member of PAE for 2021-2024.
What about the impact of chronic pain across Europe in the age of Covid-19, according to the PAGs (patients advocacy group) and chronic pain patients’ organizations? A new survey is now launching thanks a partnership between Centro Interdisciplinar de Ciências Sociais - Pólo da Universidade dos Açores, CICS.NOVA.UAc (Research Center in Social Sciences at Universidade Nova de Lisboa) and the Chronic Pain Patients Association in the Azores. Collaborative partners are Active Citizenship Network (ACN) and Sine Dolore - European Pain Foundation, leading the Pain Euro-Mediterranean Coalition, the informal network of manager & operators of best practices to facilitate the exchange of knowledge. One of the main aims of the survey is to contribute to develop the topic of chronic pain in the context of the European Pillar of Social Rights because at the European level chronic pain has a major impact on workforce participants and productivity and is not adequately acknowledged nor addressed. T
Last 21 of November 2017 in the Bruxelles office of Pain Alliance Europe, Active Citizenship Network (ACN) and Pain Alliance Europe (PAE) have officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the cooperation between the BMP Patient Centred Innovation Grant managed by PAE and the European Civic Prize on Chronic Pain managed by ACN. This agreement reinforce the already strong cooperation in the field on chronic pain between the two organizations and, first of all, allow to them to better merge their mentioned initiatives.
Active Citizenship Network organized a webinar-conference on 4 March 2016 in Rome, on the topic of “Improving patients’ rights in the age of the Cross Border Healthcare Directive”. The event involved online and on-the-spot participation of national and international experts to debate the European Directive on patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare and the current state of its implementation throughout Europe.
On this occasion, the communication campaign “Patients’ rights have no borders” has been presented for the first time.
In occasion of the European Consumer Day of last March 16, the main Italian Consumers Organization involved in the “National Council of Consumers and Users”, consultative group at the Ministry of Economic Development, wrote to the EU Commissioner on Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality in order to recall the attention for a greater involvement of consumer associations of all the member states.
Throughout the world, health outcomes have improved dramatically over the past decade. The key to this global health progress has been and continues to be the advance in science-based, medical innovation, including new procedures, diagnostics, health technologies and medicines.
While progress has been made, there is still an urgent need to accelerate the pace of drug discovery and research for tomorrow’s cures to address unmet health needs and to reduce the global and economic burden of illness and disease.
There is also much that must be done to strengthen health systems to ensure that these advancements reach the patients who need them. As Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) says, “Health systems are the foundation for better health. All the donated drugs in the world won’t do any good without an infrastructure for their delivery.”
We, the undersigned, call on national governments around the world to support the global search for new treatments and cures through policies that support, incentivize and promote medical discovery and innovation.
AND
We call on governments around the world to commit to providing sustainable health care delivery, so that people who need treatment and medicines can get them, no matter what their financial standing. Governments should ensure patient and citizen involvement in health policy development and transparency in their decision-making processes.
During 2014, Ward Health conducted a civic survey concerning medical innovation and the role of patients also with the contribution of civic and patients organizations linked to Active Citizenship Network. The objective of the initiative was to seek the input of the “patient advocacy community” on issues related to drug research and development around the world.
Active Citizenship Network has decided to dedicate the 9th celebration of the European Patients’ Rights Day 2015 (launched by ACN in 2003) to the sustainability of healthcare systems focusing on what concerns chronic diseases. The debate will be focused on different but complementary main aspects such as the responsibility of different actors involved in sustainable healthcare systems and the role of prevention and innovation.