SPINE20 INITIATIVE
Disorders of the spine with its multiple pathologies and trauma are the number one cause of disability that put enormous burden on the economy, back ailments can lead to extreme pain, inability to function, and subsequently job loss.
Advocacy, education, and government policies are urgently needed in order to provide a value-based spine care where standardized practice based on best available evidence while controlling the health care cost.
SPINE20 is an advocacy group founded in 2019 by the Saudi Spine Society (SSS), EUROSPINE, the North American Spine Society (NASS) and the German Spine Society (DWG) in an effort to improve spine care on a global level through recommending policies in the G20 countries and beyond that help them alleviate the burden of spine disease through various means including stimulating better spine health, advance spine research, enhancing spine innovation pathways and improving spine care and treatments through polices and support from governments.
SPINE20 is a think tank that would also be in a position to provide governments with the expertise needed to improve spine care around the globe. developing a clear calendar of activities and form task-force groups to work on forming evidencebased policy recommendations.
The goal is to optimise spine care options for communities and patients worldwide by making recommendations to G20 members and Sherpas.
SPINE20 will be held just prior the G20 Summit in Riyadh from 20–21 November 2020. In 2021 SPINE20 will be held in Italy and 2022 in India just prior to G20 meetings.
How can SPINE20 help governments alleviate the burden of spine disease and disability?
Serve as resource
for governments and larger institutions (national or international) in spine-related healthcare and prevention.
Advocate
for the prevention of spinal disorders e.g. exercise and education.
Stimulate innovation
to promote spine health.
Advance spine research
through advocacy for funding to improve our ability to care for patients.
Facilitate access to spine
care and treatment to improve function and decrease disability of spine patients.
What sets SPINE20 apart from other medical societies?
Opening doors for international advocacy
Few other medical society groups have been so proactively engaged in fostering this kind of international advocacy.
Improving spine health care on a global scale
SPINE20’s advocacy could result in some significant benefit for our members in various countries and the spine patients we serve.
In 2018 NASS was involved for the first time with the Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics (SBMT) Neuroscience20 event in Buenos Aires, Argentina (N20/G20) and thereafter brought spinal issues into focus through the SPINE20 initiative.