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Founding President Welcome

The Place of Work in Health Decision-Making Fit for Work Coalition News and Events

On 11 June, more than 20 health economists, cliniciansand research experts from across the world cametogether for our roundtable meeting on: The Place ofWork in Health Decision-Making. Participants discussed

the key political, economic, ethical and methodologicalchallenges for inclusion of workability and productivity inHealth Technology Assessment (HTA) and other healtheconomic evaluations. Key questions at the roundtableincluded: whether, where and how work is considered inhealth decision-making, and what needs to change inorder for healthcare systems better to support citizens inwork. Participants debated issues including how toaddress the inequalities of labour market exclusion, thetrue definition of work and the need for more accurateproductivity measurements. Please find the meetingreport here.

The outcomes of the meeting, along with further Fit forWork research into practice across Europe, will feed into

a White Paper to be published in the autumn. The WhitePaper will provide policy-makers with examples of bestpractice from around the world, so those interested inpromoting more joined-up health and labour marketpolicies can learn from international experience and the

Fit for Work went down under inMay, with the launch of a new Fitfor Work Australia report.Research undertaken by The

Work Foundation showed thatnearly 31 per cent of Australianshave an musculoskeletal disorder(MSD), and that these account for43 per cent of the $57.5 billionannual burden of work-relatedinjuries and diseases in Australia.

As with our research in many other countries, we foundthat earlier diagnosis and intervention could help moreAustralian workers with MSDs remain in or return towork, and that work participation and productivity aswell as quality of life could be improved through morejoined-up strategic efforts among Government,healthcare professionals and employers.

We are delighted to announce that Fit for Work Europeis now an official partner of the European Agency for

Safety and Health at Works (EU-OSHA)Healthy

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latest expert thinkingFollow developments in ournext Bulletin

Workplaces Campaign 2012-2013. Fit for Work Europe actively

supports the EU-OSHA theme,Working together for risk prevention,to ensure Europe is, a safer, healthierand more productive place to work.

More information can be found on ourwebsite.

Latest Brussels news Spotlight on...

On 26 June, MEP Fit for WorkChampion, Jim Higgins MEP,chaired the Rheumatic andMusculoskeletal Diseases (RMD)Interest Group focusing on the linkbetween RMDs and pain.

Stakeholders at the meeting discussed the importance oftargeting the underlying causes of pain, noting that in 60per cent of cases pain is caused by MSDs. Moreover,lower back pain was highlighted as the most frequentcause of absence from work in the EU.

On 1 July, Cyprus took on the Presidency of the EU.Marios Kouloumas, Past President of PARE (EULARPARE) and a supporter of Fit for Work said, As a

patient and native Cypriot, I look forward to the CypriotPresidency of the EU, especially in relation to the on-

going debate on chronic conditions: this is a keyopportunity for national governments to prioritise

patient-centred care and ensure future planning onrheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases takes intoaccount better management of chronic diseases.

Turkey:MSDs and the Turkish Labour Market"

In October 2011, Fit for Work supporter, Professor DrSalih Pay from GATA Department of Rheumatologyreleased the findings of a survey, Economical Burden ofRA and AS on the Turkish Societyat the NationalRheumatology Congress in Antalya, Turkey. Supportedby the Fit for Work Turkey Coalition, the research foundthat rheumatoid arthritis costs Turkey2.13 billion per

year.

Professor Pay noted that: Loss of productivity due to

these illnesses causes a much greater financial loss thanthe illness itself.This year the Fit for Work TurkeyCoalition has worked alongside the national healthauthorities to establish a National Path for RheumatoidArthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis, and raisedawareness of chronic disease management in the TurkishParliament. More information on the Fit for Work TurkeyCoalition can be found here.

A note from Sarah Bazin

The role of physiotherapists in helping labour retention of MSD sufferers

Employment plays a big part in keeping us healthy going out to work is good for us,both physically and mentally

In our latest blog, Sarah Bazin discusses common causes of sickness absence and how active work,if approached incorrectly, can contribute negatively to individuals health conditions. Being giventhe opportunity to return to work or retain employment is key for a worker with an MSD. One wayto achieve positive work outcomes is through early intervention and access to physiotherapyservices. More information can be found in Sarah Bazins blog.

Looking ahead

In our next Bulletin we will update you on Fit for Works White Paper, share developments from our clinical workstreamand provide you with an update on the Chronic Conditions debate. We will also relay the latest news from Fit for WorkNational Coalitions.

Engage with us!

2012 is a key year for Fit for Work, as we focus on developing and sharing with policy-makers effective solutions that willimprove the health and work outcomes of citizens across Europe. The Chronic Conditions debate is a vital opportunity forus to effect change across Europe. Now is the time Fit for Work supporters need to make representations totheir national representatives on this issue!

Please follow us on Twitter @FfWEurope for breaking news on the Fit for Work campaign and calls to action. Join leadingpoliticians and experts in sharing your news with us and well Retweet you to help spread the word. Feel free to share thisBulletin amongst your network and send your ideas and contributions by email to fitforwork@webershandwick.com

The Fit for Work Europe Coalition enjoys the patronage of:

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