Act on Axial SpA Origins
The Act on Axial SpA campaig was launched in 2021 when the time to diagnosis stood at 8.5 years. Listen to Professor Karl Gaffney as he explains why the campaign was needed at that specific time.
In collaboration with Professor Karl Gaffney and Professor Raj Sengupta, NASS identified four broad sources of delayed diagnosis, from a ‘follow-the-patient’ perspective. Our proposals for addressing these delays were informed by a scoping literature review and national consultation process; receiving unanimous support from 202 key stakeholders for a gold standard time of one year from symptom onset to diagnosis of axial SpA. These stakeholders included people living with axial SpA, healthcare professionals, professional bodies, communications experts and commissioners.
The 4 delays and our vision for reducing delay to diagnosis in axial SpA are detailed in the figure below, with greater detail and evidence base provided in our signature Act on Axial SpA: A Gold Standard Time to Diagnosis document.
