SPREAD THE WORD THAT CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE GET RHEUMATIC DISEASES TOO

WHAT is WORD Day?

World yOung Rheumatic Diseases Day is an annual event that takes place on the 18th of March. Through the international networks of PReS and ENCA, diverse local events will be designed and implemented by local organising committees in each country, to be run in hospitals, universities and public areas (e.g. schools, museums, town centres). These include information stalls, talks and performances given by patients, information and training events for healthcare professionals, and ‘peer education’ workshops involving medical student organisations.

WORD Day also includes several social media campaigns including the patient voice, patient organisations and charities, promotional and educational videos, and radio and TV interviews with patients and doctors, each directed at a specific audience. In particular, WORD day will target doctors who are the first health professionals to come into contact with these patients (e.g. general paediatricians), parents, other health practitioners, and educators.

Materials to support the running of these events is available in the Promotional Toolkit on this page.

WHY WORD Day

The ultimate aim of WORD Day is to raise the awareness and knowledge level of parents, doctors, primary practitioners, teachers, and the general public to help first and foremost in early diagnoses, and a quick referral to specialised paediatric rheumatologists. We hope that awareness will have a ripple effect on all levels of practitioners who come in contact with these children, improving the level of treatment they receive and their prognosis worldwide.

Reference material

Children’s books with tailored explanations on rheumatic diseases, verified information on rheumatic diseases in children in different languages: it’s all here

Have a link to add? Drop us a note!