Monitoring differences in care across Europe
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Rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD) are responsible for significant disability, and result in long-term work loss or early retirement. The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) has established a new benchmark for systematic cross-country comparisons to help understand the burden and its impacts with the RheumaFacts project.

RMD contribute significantly to the disability and healthcare burden in Europe, but until now there has been no harmonised, specific dataset to help systematically compare the differences in rheumatology workforces, health resources, and access to care across different nations. This is important since aspects of both individual and society burdens may be preventable with early diagnosis and prompt care. RheumaFacts aims to change that by bringing together results from 36 countries to establish a new benchmark.

RheumaFacts, a EULAR initiative, is a longitudinal mixed-sources study initiated in 2023 by a working group of epidemiologists, patient representatives, health professionals, and EULAR staff, to gather data from national scientific rheumatology societies as well as demographic and economic information from open-source databases. The aim was to generate robust, comparable evidence to strengthen advocacy, inform workforce planning, and guide investment in equitable access to care.

A new manuscript based in this study – published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases – reveals large disparities in workforce density, as well as the availability of non-pharmacological care, and access to modern treatments such as biologic and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARD). Of note, the numbers of rheumatologists working in each country varies widely, with densities ranging from 0.8 to 6.6 for every 100,000 inhabitants. Although access to traditional DMARDs is almost universal, only 34% had access to all licensed biologics, while 51% had access to all targeted synthetic options. The reimbursement of chronic non-pharmacological care is also limited, with just 72% covering physiotherapy, and only 39% offering psychological support – available in just 14 of the countries included.

“RheumaFacts establishes the first European benchmark for rheumatology care, revealing substantial inequalities in workforce capacity, multidisciplinary care and access to treatments across Europe, while providing the evidence needed to drive policy and advocacy,” said Professor Anna Moltó, first author of the paper and rheumatologist at Bichat Hospital, Paris, France. “This first edition is only the starting point. Our ambition is to build a long-term observatory that will allow us not only to monitor these inequalities, but also to measure progress and support actions that improve the lives of people living with RMDs.”

EULAR plays a central role in shaping musculoskeletal health policy, but there remains a need for coordinated action, and RheumaFacts delivers the first harmonised basis for monitoring key gaps. These findings will allow inequities and progress in rheumatology care to be monitored over time, enabling EULAR and national societies to track progress and inform health policy makers – ultimately improving the quality of life for people with an RMD.

Source
Moltó A, et al. Mapping inequalities in rheumatology care in Europe: the first edition of the EULAR RheumaFacts project. Ann Rheum Dis 2026; DOI: 10.1016/j.ard.2026.05.032

About EULAR
EULAR is the European umbrella organisation representing scientific societies, health professional associations and organisations for people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). EULAR aims to reduce the impact of RMDs on individuals and society, as well as improve RMD treatments, prevention, and rehabilitation. To this end, EULAR fosters excellence in rheumatology education and research, promotes the translation of research advances into daily care, and advocates for the recognition of the needs of those living with RMDs by EU institutions.

Contact
EULAR Communications, communications@eular.org