Proactive attitude among physicians could cut hip fractures by 25%, according to report

Researchers say that the annual number of hip fractures could be cut by at least 25% if doctors took a proactive stance towards osteoporosis screening and treatment.

The investigators studied data collected from more than 620,000 patients treated at 11 centers between 2002 and 2006. Patients were given bone scans using dual X-ray absorptiometry if they were:

50 years or older with a history of fragility fractures;
women aged 65 years or older;
men aged 70 years or older; or
if they were taking high doses of corticosteroids or other drugs.

Next, patients with previous fragility fractures and those who were found to have poor bone density were enrolled in an osteoporosis education program, according to a press release. Those who needed osteoporosis treatment were given medications and home safety checks in order to prevent falls. Finally, all at-risk patients were enrolled in a fall-reduction program, which included physical therapy.

The findings were presented in the The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (Amer. edition).

During the study, hip fractures dropped between 23% and 61% across the 11 centers involved in the study, giving an average reduction of 37%, according to the press release.

The researchers believe that some centers performed better than others because they had a long history of treating osteoporosis aggressively.

“The first step must be a more active role by orthopedic surgeons in osteoporosis disease management,” the authors wrote.

For more information:
Dell R, Greene D, Schelin SR, Williams K. Osteoporosis disease management: The role of the orthopaedic surgeon. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2008;90:188-194.