Introduction. With an ageing population comes an increased prevalence of osteoporosis and associated fracture. Whilst treatment of the condition following such a fracture is partially effective, primary prevention through screening and appropriate follow-up is the ideal. In order to assess a population's risk of fracture, paper questionnaires would traditionally have to be sent, however this is an wasteful and costly. A more efficient method may be to have patients assess their own FRAX score through a modified computer application. Aim. To investigate the feasibility of patients self-reporting their FRAX score from the use of a touch screen application. Methods. A patient-friendly application based on the FRAX questionnaire was developed for use on iPad. This was then trialled on inpatients and outpatients at the RNOH, Stanmore and at 2 GP's surgeries. A paper questionnaire then was used to assess ease of use of the application. Results. 314 patients completed the iPad application with 68 patients over 55 completing the paper questionnaire. The mean useability score was 2.6 (1-easy, 10-hard). 75% of respondents preferred using a touch screen application than paper or phone surveys and 83% stated they would use the touch screen if it was offered in GP surgeries. Discussion and Conclusion. Touch screen applications are readily used to self-report fracture risk by the majority of the over 55 population. Applications such as these have the potential to collect large amounts of data quickly and cheaply, as well as engaging patients in becoming aware of the risks of osteoporosis

Objectives

Degenerative disc disease (DDD) and osteoarthritis (OA) are relatively frequent causes of disability amongst the elderly; they constitute serious socioeconomic costs and significantly impair quality of life. Previous studies to date have found that aggrecan variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) contributes both to DDD and OA. However, current data are not consistent across studies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate systematically the relationship between aggrecan VNTR, and DDD and/or OA.