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EULAR to make future congresses 'more intimate' using technology
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AMSTERDAM — As part of its new strategy for 2018-2023, EULAR will work to update and adapt the ways in which information and materials are presented during its annual congress, including incorporating social media, new technologies and video capabilities.
Johannes W.J. Bijlsma, MD, PhD, president of EULAR, made the announcement during the opening of the 2018 EULAR Annual Congress.
“We would like to at least continue the high quality we have now, but we are realizing that the way we are given the information has changed in the last few years,” Bijlsma said during a press conference. “We still have sessions that are 90 minutes, with large lectures, and, as we all know if you look at educational materials, 6 or 7 minutes is about the time people stay awake with the same speaker. So, we have to adapt a little bit. It is quite difficult to have 40,000 people in groups 20, so we have to find something in the middle. We are looking at ways to have some of the materials in more intimate sessions, as well as the digital possibilities including video.”
Bijlsma added that EULAR officials have been “very happy” with the turnout of this year’s congress, stating that approximately 1,400 attendees from 120 countries have arrived to exchange scientific and clinical information.
“We are very happy with this year’s outcome at this year’s congress — we have more than 5,000 abstracts submitted by people who want to show their own work,” he said. “To give you some comparison, our sister organization in the United States, the American College of Rheumatology, has a congress with the same number of attendees but they have about 3,000 abstracts. So, more scientists submitted to EULAR, indicating that, indeed, the congress and rheumatic diseases are important in this place.”
According to Bijlsma, EULAR adopts a new strategy every 5 years. Following a 6-month process involving input from both internal and external stakeholders, the organization chose to focus on six areas through 2023, which, in addition to adapting the annual congress, include quality of care, research, advocacy and the group’s internal governance and infrastructure, and education — specifically the EULAR School of Rheumatology.
As part of this strategy, Bijlsma said EULAR will aim to be the leading provider of education regarding rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases by 2033. According to Bijlsma, more than 5,000 people are currently enrolled in online courses at the school, which was launched during the 2017 annual congress.
Regarding quality of care, Bijlsma said EULAR will continue to release recommendations for rheumatologists but will also add proposals detailing how such recommendations can be implemented in practice. This will mean a shift of focus from simply designing the recommendations, to design and implementation, he said.
Additionally, Bijlsma said EULAR will continue to support rheumatologic research in Europe, including support for the non-profit Foundation for Research in Rheumatology (FOREUM), based in Switzerland. EULAR also plans to establish a virtual research center, to improve collaboration between researchers who wish to work together. According to Bijlsma, the European Union plans to spend 120 billion euros to 180 billion euros to fund scientific research during the next 7 years.
Regarding advocacy, Bijlsma said EULAR will increase its focus on avoiding work loss for patients.
Lastly, Bijlsma said EULAR will update its internal infrastructure, financials and governance to “make sure they are in place to fulfill the other strategy goals.”
“The most important message is to reassure people that EULAR is making use of the most modern and optimal ways to fulfill its tasks in the fields of education, research and patient care,” Bijlsma said. – by Jason Laday
Reference:
Bijlsma J. Launch of the EULAR strategy 2018–2023. Presented at: EULAR Annual Congress; June 13-16, 2018; Amsterdam.
Disclosure: Bijlsma reports no relevant financial disclosures.