IMAP Gains Momentum as More Than 20 Countries Confirm Participation
More than 20 countries across Europe have already agreed to participate in the first phase of the International Map of Axial Spondyloarthritis and Psoriatic Arthritis (IMAP), a major new ASIF project designed to understand the lived experience of people with axSpA or psoriatic arthritis (PsA).
Built on the priorities of the ASIF community, IMAP aims to understand the experience of people with axSpA or PsA, including the journey to diagnosis, unmet needs, and the overall burden of the disease. It explores the real-world impact of both conditions from
the patient perspective. For many participating countries, this will generate a first-of-its-kind national evidence base on the patient experience.
As IMAP moves closer to launch, I am pleased to have joined the ASIF team in June as Project Coordinator, working alongside Jo Lowe to support the project’s day-to-day delivery and collaborate closely with participating patient organisations.
To date, we have spoken with teams in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and the UK, who have all confirmed their involvement. We would like to thank everyone we have spoken with for your enthusiasm and commitment.
We also extend our thanks to both our Scientific Committee and Steering Committee for their invaluable expertise and guidance in shaping the direction of the study and the IMAP questionnaire. Together, these committees have played a critical role in ensuring that IMAP is both scientifically robust and delivers value for patients and patient organisations. The Steering Committee has helped to ensure that patient perspectives remain at the heart of decision-making, while the Scientific Committee has provided expert guidance to strengthen the content and design of the questionnaire. We continue to benefit from the expertise and guidance of both committees as the project progresses.
While setup across Europe continues to progress well, our ultimate goal is to build a global picture. We are actively seeking opportunities to expand IMAP into additional countries and regions worldwide. Gathering harmonised data across diverse healthcare systems presents an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen the research landscape, global advocacy, improve awareness, and advance care for people living with axSpA and PsA.
If your patient organisation or clinical network is interested in collaborating with us to bring IMAP to your country, please contact me at Emily.kirkpatrick@asif.com. We look forward to working closely with teams in all participating countries to support successful recruitment, drive engagement, and ensure that IMAP is a resounding success!
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