PRESS RELEASE
Successful SIP Focus Groups 2013: Moving a step forward
towards concrete policy actions
This year’s Societal Impact of Pain (SIP) Focus Groups on Quality Indicators
and Best-Practices for Reintegrating Chronic Pain Patients into the
Workplace brought forth two policy documents for future policy actions to
improve pain management in Europe
Brussels / Belgium, 22 May, 2013.During the two SIP Focus Groups, which took place in Brussels
on 14-15 May, the multi-stakeholder groups discussed and agreed upon two working documents
for future policy actions: The SIP Recommendations paper on the “European Implementation of
Quality Indicators in Chronic, Non-Malignant Pain Management” (Focus Group 1) and the SIP
Proposal for Action, using “European Best Practices for the Reintegration of Chronic Pain Patients
into the Workforce” (Focus Group 2). Both documents will set the basis for future actions of the
multi-stakeholder group which aims to raise awareness of the impact of chronic pain, to
exchange information and share best-practices across the European Union and to develop and
foster policy strategies and activities to improve pain care in Europe.
As decided by EFIC® (European Federation of IASP® Chapters) and the SIP Programme Committee,
the SIP Focus Groups took place for the first time this year, following three SIP symposia during
2010-2012. The Focus Groups took place as an associated event of the Irish Presidency of the
Council of the EU (Jan - Jun 2013, www.eu2013.ie) and was endorsed by more than 185
international and national patient advocacy groups, scientific organisations, and health authorities,
as well as the Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
The topics of the SIP Focus Groups as selected by the SIP Programme Committee are closely related
to one of the seven policy dimensions of the SIP Road Map for Action, as explains Professor Hans
Georg Kress, President of EFIC®: “During the past three SIP symposia we have made progress for
the general discussion and recognition of chronic pain as a challenge for the society. Now we are in
the next phase: we are focusing on the distinct requests as given by the Road Map for Action”. The
Road Map was a key result from SIP 2011 symposium outlining seven policy dimensions on how the
EU institutions and member states can effectively address the societal impact of pain at EU level.
As became particularly clear during the first Focus Group on developing indicators to measure the
quality of pain management, different European countries with different European health care
systems have distinct request and conditions, as Kress stresses: “Our European Community is not
one entity, it is a patchwork carpet of different countries, with different histories, traditions, health
care systems, as well as social systems”.
Alberto Grua, Executive Vice President of Grünenthal Europe & Australia, continues: “I feel that one
of the main objectives, something that we should be proud of as potential results from these kinds
of meetings in the future, is to really take the opportunity to align and harmonize the way we want
to ensure that patients are treated properly.”
The first recommendation for a European set of indicators for the SIP Recommendations has been
discussed and agreed upon during Focus Group 1; these recommendations will then have to be
defined and explained in more detail during further working sessions in the future. Next to the
European Recommendations, also country-specific, national recommendations shall be generated.
The final Recommendations working document you can find on the SIP Website.
Topic of SIP 2013 Focus Group 2 was to show the significant impact of chronic pain on the EU
workforce. . Based upon best practice projects from different EU countries, a Proposal for Action
for bringing chronic pain patients back to work was discussed and agreed upon. Amongst others,
the group calls upon European governments to take into account:
1. Strong, early involvement of stakeholders […] to ensure a holistic and collaborative
approach towards the successful implementation of future projects.
2. Development of guidelines for healthcare professionals […]
3. Development and implementation of chronic pain patient education programmes and
chronic pain patient activity/work programmes […]
4. Continuous monitoring/governance and evaluation systems […] and risk-management
procedures to ensure consistent, quality outcomes.
The final Proposal for Action working document you can find on the SIP Website.
The SIP Platform and the objectives of this year’s Focus Groups are also being supported by Ms
Waltraud Klasnic, Austrian Member of the European Economic and Social Committee: “It is my
function to represent the European Economic and Social Committee, to listen and support that the
task of (managing) pain in Europe will be recognised and implemented.”
The scientific framework of SIP 2013 is under the responsibility of the European Federation of IASP®
Chapters (EFIC®). The pharmaceutical company Grünenthal GmbH is responsible for funding and
non-financial support (e.g. logistical support).
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors:
About the Societal Impact of Pain (SIP)
The "Societal Impact of Pain" (SIP) is an international, multi-stakeholder platform created in 2010 as
a joint initiative of EFIC® and the pharmaceutical company Grünenthal GmbH and aims to raise
awareness of the relevance of the impact that pain has on our societies, health and economic
systems, exchanging information and sharing best-practices across all member states of the
European Union, and developing and fostering European-wide policy strategies & activities for
improved pain management in Europe. The platform provides opportunities for discussion for
health care professionals, pain advocacy groups, politicians, insurances, representatives of health
authorities, regulators and budget holders.
The scientific framework of the SIP platform is under the responsibility of the European Federation
of IASP® Chapters (EFIC®). The pharmaceutical company Grünenthal GmbH is responsible for
funding and non-financial support (e.g. logistical support). For more information, please visit
www.sip-platform.eu
About EFIC
The European Federation of IASP® Chapters (EFIC®) is a multidisciplinary professional organisation
in the field of pain research and medicine, consisting of the 36 chapters of the International
Association for the Study of Pain (IASP®), which are the IASP accredited official National Pain
Societies in each country. EFIC’s constituent chapters represent pain societies from 36 European
countries and close to 20,000 physicians, basic researchers, nurses, physiotherapists, psychologists
and other healthcare professionals across Europe, who are involved in pain management and pain
research. For more information, please visitwww.efic.org.
About Grünenthal
The Grünenthal Group is an independent, family-owned, international research-based pharmaceutical company
headquartered in Aachen, Germany. Building on its unique position in pain treatment, its objective is to become the
most patient-centric company and thus to be a leader in therapy innovation. Grünenthal is one of the last five
remaining research-oriented pharmaceutical companies with headquarters in Germany which sustainably invests in
research and development. Research and development costs amounted to about 26 percent of revenues in 2012.
Grünenthal’s research and development strategy concentrates on selected fields of therapy and state-of-the-art
technologies. We are intensely focused on discovering new ways to treat pain better and more effectively, with
fewer side-effects than current therapies. Altogether, the Grünenthal Group has affiliates in 26 countries worldwide.
Grünenthal products are sold in more than 155 countries. Today, approx. 4,400 employees are working for the
Grünenthal Group worldwide. In 2012, Grünenthal achieved revenues of €973 mn.
For more information: www.grunenthal.com.
For further information, please contact
Societal Impact of Pain (SIP) Platform
Tel: +49 241 569 1878
Fax: +49 241 569 5 1878
Email: sip‐[email protected]
www.sip-platform.eu
or
European Federation of IASP® Chapters
Medialaan 24
1800 Vilvoorde – Belgium
Tel: +32 2 251 55 10
Fax: +32 2 251 48 10
Email: [email protected]
www.efic.org