GOAPPS Global Survey Will Help Us Understand THE NEEDS OF OSTEOARTHRITIS PatientS

Worldwide, osteoarthritis affects 300 million people. A disease that affects people of all ages, and given the current rate of population aging, it is estimated that the number of people suffering from this disease will double in the next three decades. We cannot remain indifferent to such relevant data and for this reason, at the OAFI Foundation we promote projects to encourage research into this serious pathology.

Science is the key to finding better treatments for all people with osteoarthritis. It is essential that we learn more about what is important to patients from patients themselves, so that future healthcare options are most effective. Through the OA Task Force led by OAFI and the Arthritis Foundation, we have created the Global Osteoarthritis (OA) Patient Perception Survey (GOAPPS), the first global survey of its kind that directly compares the Quality of Life (QoL) of OA patients in different countries and cultures. The aim of the survey is to help all parties involved in OA care to better understand patients’ perceptions and how they may differ between cultures. Understanding patients’ needs will help make OA-related care options more effective in terms of prevention, research and management.

The GOAPPS survey project will collect and analyze data to address current gaps in understanding of OA patient perceptions and needs.  If you are an OA patient over the age of 18 and would like to participate, click here: http://bit.ly/2OtrP2b. The results will be published later this year.

GOAPPS is an initiative of the International Osteoarthritis Task Force. The Task Force is led by the OA Foundation International (OAFI) in Barcelona, Spain and the Arthritis Foundation in Atlanta, United States. The Task Force also includes members from the Pan-American League of Rheumatology Associations (PANLAR) in North and South America and the Italian Association of Patients with Rheumatic Diseases as well as additional global OA experts.