- I became very proud of Diakonhjemmet hospital during the EULAR congress, says NKRR leader, Nina Østerås. Our people were very visible with many good contributions. Everyone did a very good job, with professional posts, even those who stepped in at short notice , she says.
There were 30 different contributions from Diakonhjemmet hospital out of the 50 that were taken in from Norway.
50 Norwegian contributions
Rikke Helene Moe knows EULAR well from the inside since she sits on EULAR's Advocacy committee and on the board of the research foundation FOREUM. She also leads the study group for physical activity and exercise and has previously led the HPR committee for 4 years and was a member of the Congress Committee. In 2021, she became an honorary member of EULAR.
- There were many great contributions from Norway this year, and I think it was extra fun to see so many people discussing results, similarities and differences, projects and ideas with colleagues from other countries who are interested in the same thing, says Rikke.
- The various committees, and the Congress Committee in particular, are responsible for the professional programme. They have to adapt to the possibilities, limitations and legislation of the various host nations, says Moe.
- Everything will look a little different next summer, when the congress will be held in Vienna. It will be exciting, she believes.
12,500 participants
More than 4,500 abstracts were assessed in the run-up to this year's congress. There were 12,500 physical participants and 300 who participated digitally from different countries from all over the world.
Moe says that in recent years, EULAR has been increasingly concerned with putting together sessions with a clear common thread and using formats with more dialogue and networking opportunities. - In recent years, a tradition has also been established of "shared" sessions and committees that have been challenged to create sessions in different parts of the EULAR programme.
- One of this year's examples was a popular session on exercise and rheumatic disease in the classic Rheumatologist part of the programme, says Moe.
EULAR focuses on research and teaching, user participation at all stages and collaboration with other major players such as the EU, WHO and ACR. The annual congress is just one of the activities.
Traditionally, EULAR rested on three basic pillars; the patient organizations (PARE), the doctors (Scientific) and the other health professions (HPR). These three pillars have their committees which work on a voluntary basis throughout the year, i.a. to make the congress program as good as possible for all participants. In the last 5 years, the organization has changed. There are now four Representation Committees (Representation-Committees); PARE, HPR, EMEUNET (younger healthcare personnel) and PAED (Pediatrics) and 5 content committees (Content Committees) which consist of a mix of people with different professional backgrounds in addition to people from the various representation committees; Advocacy, Congress, Education, Quality of Care and Research. These committees are assisted by many hundreds of volunteer rheumatology experts to carry out all of EULAR's activities.
EULAR's top management is an elected board consisting of 4 rheumatologists and a representative from each of the 3 original pillars (organizations representing healthcare professionals in rheumatology, patient organizations and rheumatologist organizations).
It is a common misconception that these pillars work separately. The 5 content committees have participants from all 4 representation committees, to ensure quality, breadth, usefulness and interaction.
EULAR presented its new strategy during the opening, which is a common part of the programme. Representatives from all of EULAR's committees, as well as specially invited resource persons from other large organisations, have helped prepare it. The strategy will act as a guiding star for EULAR's decisions and initiatives in the next period.
In the period 2018-2023, EULAR has experienced significant growth and undergone professionalization in many areas. The new strategy is based on the previous strategy, the new organization and increased experience with digital solutions. The strategy for the period 2024-2028 is driven by a vision of a world where all people with RMDs are recognised, diagnosed and receive preventive or curative treatment. To achieve this vision, EULAR's mission is to minimize the impact of RMD at both the individual and societal levels. EULAR contributes in the areas of education, awareness, treatment, prevention and research in the RMD field.
EULAR's visionary goals require clear leadership. EULAR will increase the visibility of RMDs and influence national and international health policy decisions. The organization also wants to have a leading role in innovation within the RMD field.
EULAR's ambitions require the necessary expertise among researchers and clinicians to strengthen treatment options for people with RMDs. EULAR will support personal and professional development to improve skills and competence, contribute to personal professional growth through the establishment of a framework for competence and offers for education. There will be a particular focus on rheumatologists, health personnel and user assistants early in their careers.
It will be exciting to see how this new overall strategy will shape the selection of activities, projects and the program at the congress in the coming years.
