Posted on Oct. 16: McMaster receives $1-million for national arthritis treatment program

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Wiliam_Bensen.jpg” caption=”William Bensen”]McMaster University, in conjunction with St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, has announced a major funding commitment of $1 million from Pharmacia Canada Inc. and Pfizer Canada Inc. for an innovative educational initiative called the Arthritis Treatment Program.

Funded over five years, the program will be designed to assist primary care physicians and other health professionals in providing optimal care for people with arthritis.

“This is an excellent example of innovation in the relationship between the pharmaceutical industry, health care providers and universities, where our interests mesh well,” said John Kelton, dean and vice-president, Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University. “Funding of the Arthritis Treatment Program clearly supports a commitment to excellence in health care education. By enhancing current medical training, the program will support better diagnosis and treatment for millions of Canadians with arthritis.”

More than four million Canadians, or one in every seven individuals, suffer from some form of arthritis. That number is expected to grow at a rate of one million more Canadians per decade, at least until the year 2031.

Led by one of Canada's leading clinical rheumatologists, William Bensen, and a team of rheumatologists at McMaster and its partner institution, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, the Arthritis Treatment Program will consist of an overall practical management package including concepts and tools for managing rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. A simple, easy-to-use measurement tool will be developed for use in clinical practice that provides a common language between physician and patient and acts as a benchmark for improving arthritis care.

“If you envision the evolution of care for arthritis as a step ladder, with each rung representing an advancement in care, a number of Canadians remain on the bottom rungs,” said Bensen, of the Arthritis Treatment Program.

“The gap between currently available standards of care and actual care received by patients continues to widen, putting patients at unnecessary risk of joint degeneration, gastrointestinal bleeding and decreased mobility. The goal of the program is to minimize the issues that can prevent optimal care and allow people with arthritis to live at their personal best.”

Kevin Smith, CEO and president of St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton said: “This program will take the expertise of superb clinical research teams out to the medical professionals who treat our families on a day-to-day basis, bringing us all one step closer to the leading edge treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.”

The Arthritis Treatment Program will be targeted to undergraduate students, postgraduate students in family medicine, internal medicine and other areas involved in musculoskeletal care, and family physicians across Canada. Complemented by supporting resource materials, the program will be tailored for each of these groups.

Photo caption: William Bensen, clinical rheumatologist and head of the Arthritis Treatment Program at McMaster University. Photo credit: Chantall Van Raay