For Healthcare Professionals – Tips
For Healthcare Professionals – Tips
Welcome to the act on axial SpA website - providing resources to reduce time to diagnosis in axial SpA. Explore our pages below, developed by healthcare professionals across various specialties. Think we are missing something relevant to your discipline? Please reach out to the Gold Standard team: goldstandard@nass.co.uk
Help us build public awareness
Help us build public awareness
With a lack of public awareness of the condition, many people may not attribute their symptoms to axial SpA. We have created a selection of resources to help you raise awareness of axial SpA in your local healthcare setting and across your community.
Identification and referral in primary care
Identification and referral in primary care
People with undiagnosed axial SpA usually first present with chronic lower back pain to their general practitioners or other non-rheumatology primary care providers. We have curated bespoke resources developed by GPs, physiotherapists, FCPs, osteopaths, chiropractors and rheumatologists to assist you in recognising and referring suspected axial SpA from primary care.
Identification in secondary care
Identification in secondary care
Evidence suggests that many opportunities to recognise and refer potential axial SpA in secondary care are being missed. Explore our resources developed by gastroenterologists, dermatologists and ophthalmologists, to help you recognise and internally refer suspected axial SpA from secondary care.
Diagnosis within rheumatology
Diagnosis within rheumatology
The diagnosis of axial SpA is complex, whereby individual symptoms or tests in isolation are insufficient to either diagnose or rule out axial SpA; rather a combination of axial SpA symptoms, physical examination, appropriate diagnostic tests and imaging should lead to diagnosis.
ACT ON AXIAL SpA:
A Gold Standard time to diagnosis
The current time to diagnosis of axial SpA in the UK averages approximately 8.5 years from symptom onset. This delay is unacceptable and has serious consequences for the patient. Our act on axial SpA campaign sets out a roadmap for reducing the time from symptom onset to diagnosis to just one year.
Symptoms starting slowly
Pain in the lower back
Improves with movement
Night time waking
Early onset (under 40)
