On 31 July 2009, Bone and Joint Decade Australia gathered together the organisations that had been affiliated with the Decade since its inception in 2000 and those who had joined during the past eight years for a Think Tank at the Kolling Institute at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney. This aim and objective of the session was to look at where the Decade had taken Australia as far as musculoskeletal disease was concerned and what plans should be made for the future. Each organisation was invited to contribute to what they had achieved for the Decade and where else there might be opportunity for further programs and projects.
Some of the achievements noted at that session were:-
• Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health listed as a National Health Priority
• A Surgical Summit was held in Canberra to address key issues relating to joint replacement surgery.
• Federal funding was acquired to develop a new Musculoskeletal Core Curriculum for under graduate medical students.
• Public seminars have been attended by thousands of Australian across the country reporting on Musculoskeletal Research giving information on the latest treatment options across all areas of health care.
• The BJD Australia website www.bjd.org.au has now accumulated over 200,000 visits over the last 4 years
• The Arthritis Health Services guide has been produced and hosted on the BJD Australia website to give information on a wide variety of services available to people through all stages of arthritis.
• The Australian National Action Network has developed a partnership with the Australian Pain Society to host a Pain Symposium for members of the general public which launches the Pain Societies Annual Conference each year.
• Australia hosted the 2007 International Network Conference and Patient Advocacy Meeting which was attended by over 200 delegates from over 30 countries.
• A mentoring program has been introduced to facilitate the introduction of Youth Camps globally for children with musculoskeletal conditions. So far delegates form India, South Africa and the Netherlands have attended such camps in Australia. India started such a program in 2008 with the other countries expecting to start a similar program shortly.
• A children’s entertainment program has been produced on DVD with the help of a children’s entertainment group, GO SEEK showing simple ways they can look after their bones and joints through the medium of song and dance. This DVD is available through www.bjd.org.au
• Plans for a gathering of all Decade stakeholders to be held in Canberra in March 2011 to make the end of the Decade for Australia
• The commitment worldwide and through Australian organisations that the work of the BJD should continue
Listed below are the organisations associated with the Bone and Joint Decade in Australia
Department of Health and Ageing ; Arthritis Australia; Australia and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society; Australasian Podiatry Council; Royal Australasian College of Physicians Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine; Australian Physiotherapy Association; Australian Orhopaedic Association; Australian and New Zealand Society of Biomechanics; Australian Musculoskeletal Imaging Group; Australian Rheumatology Association; Chiropractors Association of Australia; Sports Medicine Australia; Osteoporosis Australia; Matrix Biology Society of Australia and New Zealand; Medicines Australia
In October 2009 in Washington DC, the International Bone and Joint Decade Network Meeting will gather with more than 50 countries participating worldwide to map the journey for the next fifteen months. The countries that make up the Decade have all made a difference in some way to the care and prevention of musculoskeletal disease.
Leading up to the International Meeting will be the following important events
World Arthritis Day – 12 October
World Spine Day – 16 October
World Trauma Day – 17 October
World Osteoporosis Day – 20 October
All visitors to our website are invited to make a difference and take part or organise events to coincide with any or all of the World Days.
Patient involvement has been a key factor Decade’s success since its inauguration and this is the fourth year the BJD, thanks to the generous involvement of Novartis, was able to organise a two-day Patient Advocacy Seminar preceding the World Network Conference. The value of this unique programme is vast, with 40 BJD Patient Advocates from countries around the world having participated in the expert-led training sessions. The topic of this year's programme was Basic Health Economics: Understanding and Using the Data and we were very pleased to have Mr Mick Hoare, Director of the Asthma and Arthrtitis division of the Australian Dept of Health & Aging, to speak to us about the National Health Priority, and the expertise of Weber Shandwick, the world’s largest PR agency, donating its time to lead practical training modules for the advocates.
The World Network Conference brought together network leaders from nearly 40 countries and featured a fusion of interactive presentations on the Significance of Health Economy Data, with policy discussions including Prof Alan Lopez, Head of the School of Population Health at the University of Queensland, and the head author of The WHO Publication The Burden of Disease, speaking about the Burden of Musculoskeletal Disease. In addition there was a multidisciplinary session focusing on Spine with with talks by international thought-leaders, which attracted quite some media attention. Mr Ben Horgan, Australian Network Chairman and Patient Advocacy Leader, and Prof Peter Brooks, BJD International Steering Committee Member and Conference Programme Chairman, led the meeting.
