Abstract
Aim: to determine the proportion of patients with fragility fractures who underwent risk assessment for osteoporosis as a result of their fracture clinic attendance prior to and following reinforcement of guidelines
Methods: The inclusion criteria were defined as: new patients fifty years of age or over sustaining a fragility fracture of their distal radius presenting during two three month periods in 2004 (April to June and October to December). Guidelines for osteoporosis risk assessment (the Northumberland guidelines) were reinforced during the interim period. Patients were identified from hospital records and the notes obtained to confirm the fracture type as fragility. The number assessed during each period was determined from outpatient referral for DEXA records and compared. Patients who had undergone DEXA scanning in the year prior to their fracture clinic attendance were excluded from the analysis.
Results: from April to June there were forty-six patients (39 women and 7 men) with a mean age of 73 years while between October and December there were fifty-four patients (48 women and 6 men) with an average age of 68 years. In the April to June cohort 3 patients had already had a DEXA scan prior to fracture clinic attendance. Of the 43 remaining patients 3 were risk assessed for osteoporosis (7%). Within the October to December group two patients had previously undergone DEXA scanning and of the remaining 52 patients 16 (31%) underwent osteoporosis risk assessment.
Conclusion: Risk assessment for osteoporosis is still carried out ineffectively by orthopaedic surgeons even following enforcement of guidelines.
Correspondence should be addressed to Mr Carlos Wigderowitz, Honorary Secretary BORS, University Dept of Orthopaedic & Trauma Surgery, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, Dundee DD1 9SY.
None of the authors have received anything of value from a commercial or other party related directly or indirectly to the subject of the presentation
