A new health policy roadmap has been published in The Lancet – calling on governments to significantly shake-up care for debilitating osteoarthritis.
Led by Professor Andrew Briggs from Curtin University, the research brought together experts from 18 countries, including Professors Lyn March and David Hunter, and Dr Saurab Sharma from the Kolling Institute and the University of Sydney.
The roadmap calls for greater recognition of osteoarthritis in health policy, improved access to evidence-based, person centred care, and stronger prevention strategies.
Researchers have identified three priorities:
- To recognise osteoarthritis in national data and health policy
- To scale up affordable, person-centred care, including better integration into primary and chronic disease care
- To slow its growth by targeting excess body weight and joint injuries
With one billion people likely to be living with osteoarthritis by 2050 and still no cure, researchers are calling for an escalation in high-quality, affordable care to dramatically reduce the burden of the condition.
Lead author Professor Andrew Briggs said that health systems are not well placed to prevent and manage the rising burden of osteoarthritis, particularly in low and middle-income settings.
“Osteoarthritis faces an image problem – it’s perceived as an unavoidable part of ageing with limited management options and remains largely invisible in national health policies.”
Those comments have been echoed by co-senior author Professor Lyn March, who says there needs to be a better understanding of the rising impact of osteoarthritis.
“The global disability burden from osteoarthritis has increased by 65 per cent between 1990 and 2023 – one of the largest increases amongst the more than 350 conditions tracked in the Global Burden of Disease study,” she said.
“We need health systems to recognise osteoarthritis as a major chronic disease.
“This means greater efforts to measure and communicate the burden of osteoarthritis to policy makers so that care models can be scaled up, and people can access evidence-based care that is affordable and appropriate for their individual needs, irrespective of where they live.”
Co-senior author Professor David Hunter said there was a significant opportunity to shift osteoarthritis care away from low-value treatments towards prevention, early intervention and approaches that help people live well with the condition.
“This starts with reframing how people think about and respond to osteoarthritis. Descriptions like ‘bone on bone’ or ‘wear and tear’ are outdated and often drive disengagement in care. Instead, reframing osteoarthritis symptoms as not inevitably progressive can better support people to participate in their care,” he said.
“Although there are currently no disease-modifying drugs for osteoarthritis, we do know there are effective ways to help people manage osteoarthritis, but too many people are still receiving care that does not reflect the best available evidence.”
Researchers say immediate action is needed to curb the escalation in osteoarthritis due to rising obesity rates, an ageing population and an increasing numbers of joint injuries.
To read the publication: Strengthening health systems to prioritise, provide care, and prevent osteoarthritis: a roadmap for global health policy – ScienceDirect
