ABS1242-PARE EUROPEAN PATIENT COUNCIL DEDICATED TO OSTEOARTHRITIS PATIENTS

<h2>Abstract</h2><h3>Background:</h3> Over 600 million people worldwide are affected by osteoarthritis (OA), a rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease accounting for 19 million years lived with disability [1]. According to the Global Burden of Disease Report [2] this figure could double by 2050. Currently, the patient voice is rather fragmented across Europe and there was a need for an umbrella englobing the patients associations and foundation (this includes associations, federations, foundations and individual patients advocating for OA) across Europe. The COST Action CA21110 NetwOArk [3] is an open European network that aims to bring together all key OA stakeholders, including patients, people affected with OA, scientists, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, medical device manufacturers and policy makers. Launched in October 2022, the European Network on OsteoArthritis (NetwOArk) now brings together over 500 clinicians, researchers, patients representatives from 17 countries across Europe. NetwOArk objectives comprises creating an European OA patient organization, stimulating new initiatives and resaerch across Europe, raising awareness on the burden of osteoarthritis, amplifying the patients' voice and fostering collaboration to develop a patient-centered research initiative in Europe. <h3>Objectives:</h3> To establish the "Voice of the osteoarthritis patient" across Europe through the creation of an European OA Patient Council. <h3>Methods:</h3> Following the meetings of the network – an opportunity to align the patients, clinicians and researchers perspectives and prioritization of the unmet needs –, representatives of various osteoarthritis patient organisations in Europe have come together to form the European Osteoarthritis Patient Council (EPCOA). They met face-to-face and online to define the mission, the objectives, the bylaws and settlements of the EPCOA. <h3>Results:</h3> The EPCOA has been founded and now include 21 organizations and patient advocates, from 17 European countries, representing people affected by OA across Europe. The mission of EPCOA is to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment (including self-management, pharmacological and non-pharmacological) for people living with or at risk of OA in Europe, with an interdisciplinary and integrative approach based on the needs, preference and experiences of the patient, based on a community approach. The main goals are to promote research collaboration and to implement the patients' voice in the OA research program, speeding up the process of developing innovative treatments, promoting a better understanding of the disease, of the patient' beliefs, needs and preferences, and to develop an integrative health approach involving policymakers and regulatory authorities. Promoting and recommending a better use of current treatments`, improving patient education and patient safety [4], are also objectives of EPCOA, including increasing the interest and funding for OA research, while building a strong advocacy network for OA. <h3>Conclusion:</h3> Thanks to European grant of COST action, a European Patient Council for OA patients has been created. This is an important step forward in representing the unmet needs of >40 millions of European people suffering or at risk of OA [5], and further implement their voice at the research (incl. an European survey of OA patients) and policy levels. <h3>REFERENCES:</h3> [1] World Health Organization. (2022) <i>Musculoskeletal health</i> [Fact Sheet]. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/musculoskeletal-conditions. [2] Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 (GBD 2021), https://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-2021. [3] European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST). <i>CA21110 - Building an open European Network on OsteoArthritis research (NetwOArk</i>). https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA21110/. [4] World Health Organization. (2024). <i>Patient safety rights charter</i>. Patient Safety Flagship Unit. Integrated Health Services Department ISBN 978-92-4-009324-9. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/376539/9789240093249-eng.pdf. [5] Li H-Z, Liang X-Z, Sun Y-Q, Jia H-F, Li J-C and Li G (2024) Global, regional, and national burdens of osteoarthritis from 1990 to 2021: findings from the 2021 global burden of disease study. Front. Med. 11:1476853. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1476853. <h3>Acknowledgements:</h3> COST action CA21110. <h3>Disclosure of Interests:</h3> <b>None declared</b>. © The Authors 2025. This abstract is an open access article published in Annals of Rheumatic Diseases under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Neither EULAR nor the publisher make any representation as to the accuracy of the content. The authors are solely responsible for the content in their abstract including accuracy of the facts, statements, results, conclusion, citing resources etc.