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Arab Women Health in Rheumatology Group

There has been relatively little previous attention to aspects of reproductive health and pregnancy itself in patients with rheumatic disease globally which has been evolving in the last few years. Nevertheless, regionally, reproductive health can be a source of uncertainty and anxiety for women with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, in whom the underlying diseases—along with culture and the medications used to treat them impose additional challenges. ‘WOMEN HEALTH in RHEUMATOLOGY GROUP’ aims to address the uncertainty and provides informational needs of Arabic-speaking patients concerning Rheumatic Diseases in regards to women and productive health. Furthermore, it encourages rheumatologists to routinely discuss reproductive health concerns with their female patients when visiting clinics.

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This group aims to reach out to all rheumatologists in the Arab league who has an interest in reproductive health in rheumatology to improve the care of patients and collaborate on the management of reproductive health in adult patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, providing comprehensive support on preconception, pregnancy, fertility and post-partum care to physicians and patients themselves in their mother language, Arabic.

Mission

  • Promote awareness to rheumatologists and patients about reproductive health in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.

  • Promote awareness on preconception, pregnancy, and post-partum care, fertility and menopause to female patients in Arabic.

  • Advocates for the importance of early and regular discussions of reproductive health concerns with patients during their rheumatology visits.

  • Motivate & support patients in Arabic.

  • Promote for multidisciplinary approach and establishment of reproductive health clinics in rheumatology across the Arab countries.

  • Motivate rheumatologists to address reproductive health concerns with their adult patients.

  • Establish a platform for rheumatologist who has interest in women health and reproductive health and enhance care to the international level within the Arabic region.

  • Encourage collaboration between rheumatologists in the Arab region and empower the resources available for experience sharing, data collection and analysis and research.

Vision

  • To reach out to adult patients with rheumatic disease across Arab counties & ensure they receive easily accessible, reliable, and up-to-date information in Arabic concerning reproductive health.

  • To reach out for all rheumatologist who are interested in reproductive health to improve the care of patients and empower resources

Objectives

Patients

  • Encourage patients to address their concerns on preconception, pregnancy, fertility and post-partum care to their primary physicians

  • Empower the importance of family planning in rheumatology.

  • Provide support to patients and provide reliable resources in Arabic.

Rheumatologists

  • Advancing awareness, education, and support for rheumatologists to address reproductive health concerns with adult patients.

  • Establishment of platform for rheumatologists with interest in reproductive health to share experience and excel care of patient.

  • Provide a platform to combined analysis of data from different institutes in the Arab region and enhance the research opportunities in the field.

Mission

1. Empowering reproductive health in rheumatology: ​

Advancing awareness, education, and support for rheumatologists to address reproductive health concerns with adult patients.

  • Providing reliable resources in Arabic for patients

  • Providing regular engagement sessions with the public, and addressing all concerns relevant to reproductive health and rheumatic diseases.

  • Highlight the access of patients to contraception across the region.

  • Empower the social media tool in reaching out for public.

  • Create a supportive community to share experience in pregnancy.

  • Highlight the importance of contraception and preconception for patients with rheumatic disease.

  • Reinforce the importance of integrated patient management by rheumatologists, obstetricians, gynecologists, and reproductive endocrinologists, as a positive step toward better informing and supporting women of reproductive age as they navigate the complex challenges around family planning, pregnancy, and early parenthood.

2. Creating supportive platform for rheumatologists:​

The group aims to target rheumatologists with interest in reproductive health and to establish a solid platform for their colleague to collaborate and improve the care of patients with rheumatic disease.

  • Provides regular educational sessions to rheumatologists across the Arab region to advocate for the practice.

  • Encourage establishment of special care service and collaborate with other specialties locally. Share experience with preexisting MDT clinic in the region.

  • Share current experience with all rheumatologists via regular educational sessions.

    • Challenging and complex cases.

    • Current guidelines and recommendations.

    • Current practice and local data.

  • Establishment of this group will allows effective interaction with other international firms to improve the care of patients in the Arab region as well as practice.

3. Collaboration:​

The WHR group provides a space for sharing experiences and mutual support and it emphasizes the significance of building a supportive platform among rheumatologists to prospectively collect and analyze data on pregnant women with different inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) and establish excellency in reproductive health compared to international institutes​

Furthermore, encourage combined analysis of data from different regional institutes with a certain degree of homogeneity among the data collected. This can be achieved by close collaboration with Arlar registry group.

4. Research:​

Data on reproductive health and information related to safety of medication and neonatal and fatal outcome are scarce internationally. This group aims to empower the influence of data from the Arab world to enrich the current available information. The WHR groups aim to collaborate with ARCH group to facilitate research and encourage rheumatologists to collaborate to produce their own recommendations and guidance as well as studies in relation to reproductive health and rheumatic disease.

See other Special Interest Groups

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