ABHI Guest Blogs with Sue Brown: Accessing MedTech for Joint Pain
Say the words medical technology and what springs to mind? I immediately think high tech: scanners that can diagnose diseases at earlier and earlier stages, insulin pumps that revolutionise the lives of people managing diabetes, implantable cardiovascular defibrillators that prevent fatal heart rhythm disorders. It’s amazing what can be done.
But it’s not all high-tech electronics. Take joint replacement – a procedure so common it is easy to take it for granted. It’s an idea so simple it has been in existence since 1890, so simple it might not seem very exciting. But today's implants are nothing like those early versions. Over the years medical technology has continuously improved on the implants, making them stronger, lighter, longer lasting. It is even possible to use a 3D printer to produce an implant tailored to the individual.
The really exciting thing, of course, is the impact a joint replacement can have for a person with a joint that has been damaged, often through arthritis. With an ageing population this is something more and more of us experience. Damaged hip and knee joints cause pain and reduced mobility and therefore impact on every aspect of a person’s life. Hip and knee replacements are highly effective, but ARMA is concerned that people now find it harder to get surgery. The benefits for patients are being able to take up their hobbies again and return to work. Reduced pain no longer means the need for medication with associated side effects. It isn’t just the patient. Families will also suffer as they watch a loved one in pain, miss out on family activities, and unable to care for children or other relatives as they did before.
Add to this the benefits for society. Estimates suggest that in 2016 alone, hip replacements saved over £70 million in unemployment benefits. There will also be associated savings to the NHS in reduced prescriptions for pain relief and associated doctors’ appointments, reduction in other physical and mental conditions developing through ability to exercise or maintain relationships, as well as the reduction in need for other therapies.
Surgery should not be seen in isolation. To get the best value for money from surgery, commissioners need to ensure the whole pathway is effective. Support for people with osteoarthritis must include prevention services, community based therapy such as physiotherapy to prevent the need for surgery, specialist exercise and programmes such as escape pain, as well as the post-operative rehabilitation necessary to get the best out of surgery.
ARMA is working to raise the issue of access to adequate support for people with joint pain, and to reduce delays in accessing surgery. Once it is clear that surgery is the right option, people should be able to access it quickly. Delay will cause unnecessary distress to the person and their family, potentially poorer outcomes, inefficient use of NHS resources and cost to the economy.
We need to make sure that patients get the right treatment without delay, whether that is a community based physiotherapy intervention or a state of the art modern implant.
Sue Brown
Sue Brown is the CEO of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance: the umbrella body for the arthritis and musculoskeletal community in the UK.