OP0260-PARE EXPERIENCE EXCHANGE – FUNDRAISING AND PATIENT EXPERT PROGRAM
Authors: N. Nedić
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2020)

Background: Since the establishment of ORS, we have been organising different activities for rheumatic diseases patients and their supporters within our five branches. After celebrating our 10 th anniversary in 2017 we were keen to expand and improve our activities, learning from an organisation with long tradition, in order to strengthen our position and to start reaching another level – growing from a small to a medium-sized organization in the next three years. The main source of our income were the pharmaceutical companies (94%). We wanted to reduce their contribution to our budget by 20% in the next three years. We had established good cooperation with two medical high schools and we would like to consider cooperation with a medical faculty. We were keen to gain insight into the Patient Expert Programme (PEP) project that Swedish Rheumatism Association had developed and hoped to then begin and steadily develop successful cooperation with target institutions in Serbia in the next years. We would like to improve the cooperation with medical faculties and become a part educational program. And the PEP was the best way to achieve this aim Objectives: The aims of this knowledge transfer programme were for us to: 1. Fundraising – Learn how to gather more voluntary contributions of money and other resources. Following the knowledge transfer visits we will organise a seminar to disseminate information with the representatives of all our branches. After the seminar our activists will have been trained to collect money for different activities. Those activities will attract more members and provide better life for people with RMDs. 2. Patient Expert Program – Implement the Patient Expert Program. The implementation of this program would strengthen the connections with medical institutions, provide first/hand knowledge for future doctors, provide better care for RMDs patients in the future. The PEP will allow the organization to collaborate closer with the universities, the doctors, researchers, health professionals. 3. Cooperation among sister organisations Develop strong relationships with the sisters EULAR organisations. Methods: From 4 th September – 8 th September 2018 we visited Swedish Rheumatism Association in Stockholm in order to gain insight into the structure and activities of their association. From 14 th October-16 th October 2019 Swedish delegation (president, two trainers and secretary) visited Serbian association for rheumatic diseases. It was organized the two-days PEP training as well as the visits to relevant institutions. From 23th January-26 th January 2020 two trainers from Sweden came to Serbia in order to hold the exams. Results: Association of Rheumatic Diseases Patients of the Republic of Serbia now has six Patient Experts for RA. They will be involved in the education of future doctors through the lectures within the subject Intern Medicine. ORS improved cooperation with Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade, as well as, with Ministry of Health. Conclusion: - We achieve to have six Patient Experts. Unofficially right now we have confirmation how they will be included in the education of future doctors through the lectures within the subject Intern Medicine in next school year at the Belgrade University - We reduced contribution of the pharmaceutical companies of our income for 10% to our budget. - We increased donations from personal donators In past year. Disclosure of Interests: None declared