Welcome to ASIF’s Delay to Diagnosis Report webpage. ASIF has developed this definitive report on the global impact of axSpA diagnostic delay. Our hope is that it will support those working to reduce the delay and be a valuable resource in highlighting the need for change to policymakers and healthcare systems. We want to help create a future where no-one living with the condition has to wait several years for a diagnosis.
You can download the report here or read it online below: Download Report in English
About the report
The report marks a significant point in ASIF’s mission to raise awareness of the key challenges in axSpA diagnosis. The report sets out for the first time a global perspective of the impact of diagnostic delay and the various factors that contribute to it. It also highlights opportunities for overcoming the delay, drawing on different examples of best practice from around the world.
The report was informed by the latest available axSpA literature, as well as patient and expert insights from two international Global Forum events held by ASIF in Autumn 2020.
We held an event to formally launch the report, which you can read about here. To coincide with the launch, we created three short films that highlight the problems associated with delayed diagnosis in axSpA. We thank Maranda, Annie and Kel for sharing their personal experiences, and urge you to watch and share these emotive films.
Why is a report needed?
ASIF believes that the current global delay in axSpA diagnosis is unacceptable. Data shows that following the first onset of symptoms, people across the world wait on average around 7 years to receive a diagnosis. This figure has remained static, meaning that patients diagnosed in recent years experience very similar delays to those in the 1990s and 2000s.
Whilst there have been significant developments in other areas of axSpA – from its management to treatment – overcoming the diagnostic delay in many ways remains the biggest barrier to improving outcomes.
The report will not solve this challenge in itself, but we hope it will be an important step on the journey.
For further information, please contact projectmanager@asif.info