International Osteoporosis Foundation

International Osteoporosis Foundation
Motto A world without osteoporotic fractures
Formation 1998
Type Non-profit organization
Legal status Foundation
Headquarters Nyon, Switzerland
Coordinates 46°23′02.30″N 6°14′14.27″E / 46.3839722°N 6.2372972°E / 46.3839722; 6.2372972
Region served
Global
President
 Prof. John A. Kanis
Main organ
 Board of Directors
Website www.iofbonehealth.org

The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), headquartered in Nyon, Switzerland, is a non-governmental organization founded in 1998. It was formed from the merger of the European Foundation for Osteoporosis, founded in 1987, and the International Federation of Societies on Skeletal Diseases.[1] The foundation functions as a global alliance of individuals and organizations concerned with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis and musculoskeletal diseases bone disease. The goal of the foundation is to increase the early detection of osteoporosis and related musculoskeletal diseases, as well as to improve the treatment of these conditions through international collaboration among national healthcare systems and governments.[2]

Members of IOF are divided into a committee of National Societies, a Committee of Scientific Advisors, and a Committee of Corporate Advisors. As of 2012 individuals may register as free or Pro members via the IOF website. Current president of IOF is Professor John Kanis.[3][4]

Publications

IOF publishes the public health journal Osteoporosis International[5] and Archives of Osteoporosis[6] (in conjunction with the National Osteoporosis Foundation); Calcified Tissue International;[7] and Progress in Osteoporosis.[8]

World Osteoporosis Day

The International Osteoporosis Foundation organises the annual World Osteoporosis Day, observed internationally on 20 October.[9] The day is dedicated to raising global awareness of the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis and related diseases of bones, muscles and joints.[10][11]

OsteoLink

The OsteoLink logo

OsteoLink is an online and in-person social networking site launched in 2011, specifically for people with osteoporosis, as well as their friends, families and healthcare professionals.[12] OsteoLink is an initiative of the IOF and the Division of Bone Diseases at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva. It is funded by grants from the European Union and the Swiss Confederation through the Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) Joint Programme on research, Amgen (Europe) GmbH in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and other partners.[13]

OsteoLink functions at a global and country level, managed by local osteoporosis patient support societies.[14] OsteoLink was created to improve communication between people with osteoporosis (a disease which affects 1 in 3 post‐menopausal women and 1 in 5 men worldwide[15]) and their health professionals, following a report which indicated physicians underestimate the emotional and physical impact of the disease.[14]

The report, titled ‘The gaps between patient and physician understanding of the emotional and physical impact of osteoporosis’ found physicians underestimate how many patients worry about breaking a bone, as well as patient concerns about a decline in activity levels and loss of independence.[16]

OsteoLink was trialled with a pilot programme in 2010, and officially launched in Austria[17] and Sweden[18] in March, 2011.[19]

History

The International Osteoporosis Foundation was established in 1998 with the merger of the European Foundation for Osteoporosis (EFFO) and the International Federation of Societies on Skeletal Diseases (IFSSD).[20] In 2008 IOF was granted Roster Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.[21]

The IOF World Congress on Osteoporosis is organized by the IOF secretariat and held every two years, in even numbered years. The first was held in 2000 at Chicago, Illinois. The 2008 congress was cancelled because of political unrest in Bangkok, Thailand. It is the world's largest conference devoted solely to the topic of osteoporosis.[22] The Pierre Delmas Prize, named after the late president of the IOF, is presented at the conference.[23]

References

  1. ↑ Bonnick, Sydney Lou (2009). Bone Densitometry in Clinical Practice: Application and Interpretation. Current Clinical Practice Series (3rd ed.). Springer. p. 174. ISBN 1-60327-498-7.
  2. ↑ Riester O’Connor, Carolyn (2009). Osteoporosis for Dummies. ReadHowYouWant.com. p. 390. ISBN 1-4429-2969-3.
  3. ↑ "Board and Executive Committee". International Osteoporosis Foundation. 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
  4. ↑ Hofheinz, Elizabeth (January 4, 2011). "John Kanis Wins Hamdan Award". Orthopedics: This week. RRY Publications. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
  5. ↑ "Osteoporosis International". Orthopedics. Springer. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
  6. ↑ "Archives of Osteoporosis". Orthopedics. Springer. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
  7. ↑ "Calcified Tissue International". Orthopedics. Springer. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
  8. ↑ "Progress in Osteoporosis". Orthopedics. International Osteoporosis Foundation. Retrieved 2011-04-21.
  9. ↑ "World Osteoporosis Day". 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
  10. ↑ "Duchess of Cornwall Marks World Osteoporosis Day". The Prince’s Charities. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
  11. ↑ "Report Released for World Osteoporosis Day". ABC News. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
  12. ↑ "OsteoLink: Building Better Bones". OsteoLink. 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  13. 1 2 "About OsteoLink" (PDF). International Osteoporosis Foundation. 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  14. ↑ "A Call to Action" (PDF). International Osteoporosis Foundation. 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  15. ↑ The gaps between patient and physician understanding of the emotional and physical impact of osteoporosis. Archives of Osteoporosis. Springer. 2010. pp. 145–153. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  16. ↑ "OsteoLink Austria". 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  17. ↑ "OsteoLink Sweden". 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  18. ↑ "First Social Network for Osteoporosis Launches at Global Patient Conference" (PDF). International Osteoporosis Foundation. 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  19. ↑ "The Organization". International Osteoporosis Foundation. 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
  20. ↑ "List of non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council as of 18 September 2008" (PDF). United Nations.
  21. ↑ "The IOF World Congress on Osteoporosis (IOF WCO)". International Osteoporosis Foundation. Retrieved 2011-04-09.
  22. ↑ "Winner of Pierre Delmas Prize announced at World Congress on Osteoporosis 2010". Physorg. May 5, 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-09.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 2/22/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.