Fragility Fractures and the Osteoporosis Care Gap: An International Phenomenon

Osteoporosis management among residents living in long-term care

“…The findings are of particular interest as these individuals are at high risk of falls and fractures [2]; 34% had experienced a fall in the last 180 days and 16% of fallers experienced a fracture. The findings of an osteoporosis care gap in LTC residents in Canada are consistent similar studies in the USA [20,21], with research conducted among home care recipients [15], and community-living individuals with fragility fractures in Canada [14] and internationally [13].…”

“…Calcium and vitamin D supplementation in combination can reduce the incidence of hip and nonvertebral fractures among institutionalized individuals [11,12]. Despite the availability of several therapeutic options for preventing fractures, many community-dwelling individuals at risk are not being diagnosed and treated for osteoporosis [13][14][15]. Although individuals living in LTC are at higher risk for fractures, the identification and treatment of osteoporosis among institutionalized individuals may be suboptimal [16][17][18][19].…”

Effectiveness of antiresorptives for the prevention of nonvertebral low-trauma fractures in a population-based cohort of women

“…"A care gap refers to a discrepancy between processes of care that have been defined as best practice on the basis of high-quality evidence and the care provided in usual clinical practice" [22]. The presence of a care gap has been documented extensively in the osteoporosis field [23,24]. Our results confirm, once again, the presence of an osteoporosis care gap in Canadian postmenopausal women.…”

Osteoporosis and the orthopaedic surgeon: basic concepts for successful co-management of patients’ bone health

“…Multiple estimates have suggested that the annual cost hovers around 18-20 billion dollars annually in the USA alone and is only going to increase [12]. Despite its increasing financial costs and dramatic consequences, the recognition, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis continues to be an area needing further improvement and education within the health care community [3,[14][15][16][17]. It is unacceptable for close to 80 % of patients with a hip fracture to never have received medication to treat their pre-fracture osteoporosis, particularly given that osteoporosis treatment decreases the rate of fragility fractures and mortality by up to 30 % [18][19][20][21].…”