In the U.S., direct expenditures involving health-care costs and indirect expenditures involving lost wages of persons with musculoskeletal diseases have been estimated to total $950 billion, or 7.4% percent of the U.S. gross national product, in 2004-20061. Despite this enormous financial burden, in addition to the personal and societal impact, musculoskeletal research represents less than 2% of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget2. This disparity between the burden of these diseases and the investment in research to develop improved preventive and treatment strategies for them is noted in every region of the world and has been a major impetus for the global Bone and Joint Decade movement. After ten years, it is important to undertake a retrospective analysis of what has been accomplished and what remains to be done with this program.
The U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative (USBJI, previously called the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade, the National Action Network of the global Bone and Joint Decade) conducted a strategic planning process to determine what the organization is best positioned to accomplish, to assess how it can serve its mission in the future, and to set priorities “beyond the decade.” This was accomplished by six task groups (Arthritis, Bone Health and Osteoporosis, Pediatric Musculoskeletal Conditions, Spinal Disorders and Low Back Pain, Trauma and Injury, and Research). The following is a compilation of the priorities identified by each group.
### Priority Area 1.1: Public Education and Patient Empowerment
There needs to be increased public recognition of the benefits of prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of arthritis, including the importance of positive health behaviors. By the year 2020, the number of persons who attend or participate in arthritis health promotion activities such as public education, patient empowerment, arthritis self-management, exercise, and other programs should increase by 50%. To accomplish this ambitious task, it will be …