The pharmacist has an important role in the detection, control and monitoring of osteoarthritis patients
Nearly 17% of the Andalusian population suffers from osteoarthritis, a disease that causes 35% of primary care visitsExperts will meet next Thursday in Malaga to discuss this disease and the role that pharmacists can play in monitoring its development
Málaga, January 30th 2013 - 16.6% of the population suffers from knee, hand or spine osteoarthritis in Andalusia, according to the Spanish Society of Rheumatology. This means that more than 1.2 million people have pain and difficulty when moving, which affects their quality of life.
Furthermore, this degenerative, inflammatory and chronic musculoskeletal disease, which causes the wearing out of joints resulting in pain and functional disability, is the cause of 35 percent of the visits to primary care doctors.
To delve into this matter, next Thursday, the 31st of January, Malaga will host the “Pharmaceutical Advice for the Arthritic Patient” meeting, which will be held between 2.00 pm and 4.00 pm at the NH Málaga Hotel (interested media will be attended by the speakers). The scope of this meeting is to provide training and information about these kind of patients to the pharmacist, due to the important role they carry out when detecting, treating and monitoring those patients.
The pharmacist is a healthcare professional who also takes part in the arthritic patient’s treatment. When observing degenerative and chronic pain, after months of evaluation, he or she can advise a visit to the primary care doctor. A pharmacist can also advise patients who are already under treatment, helping them adhere to the treatment, reminding them of the medication regiment, and making them aware of the importance of not giving up. Finally, another major challenge in the care of these patients is educating them on their disease, helping them to understand it better.
Participants
Javier Tudela, president of the Pharmacist Association of Malaga, will be responsible for the opening presentation, where Enrique López de Vinuesa will take part, talking about the pharmaceutical caregiver’s role in osteoarthritis.
Dr. Sergio Giménez, Family physician and coordinator of the Musculoskeletal Working Group at the SEMERGEN (Spanish Society of Primary Care Doctors), will address osteoarthritis and its treatment from a medical point of view. He will underline the concept of how arthritis has changed, from considering it a cartilage disorder to a disease which affects the entire body. He will also discuss treatment options, including pharmacological (including Sysadoa or symtomatic slow action drugs for osteoarthritis, anti-inflammatories and painkillers) and non pharmacological (weight loss, sports, a balanced diet…).
Alicia Maldonado, from Bioiberica Farma pharmaceutical support area, will also attend the meeting where she will make a brief introduction of the company. Bioibérica Farma is a Spanish biotech company that is specialized in osteoarthritis treatment. It provides healthcare professionals with the necessary tools and knowledge to take care of their patients. A number of clinical trials endorse Bioibérica’s leadership in this field is demonstrated by a number of published clinical essays, active investigation projects, the recognition by scientific and medical societies, and the editing of publications in chondroprotection support .
