Outcomes of a nurse-led osteoporosis and falls assessment

Abstract

Osteoporosis is a major public health concern. Recent evidence from clinical and epidemiological trials on osteoporosis has stressed the urgency for early and accurate diagnosis of vertebral fractures. Despite the fact that vertebral fractures are very common and associated with decreased quality of life, they are frequently missed in daily clinical practice. The authors developed a protocol to be applied through a specialized nurse-led osteoporosis vertebral fracture service that allows for accurate diagnosis, identifies patients at risk and shortens the time of assessment and management. A total of 114 patients have been reviewed over 12 months. Completing the referral form and the clinic proforma helped the nurse cover all causes of vertebral fractures and shortened the lag time for assessment and management. Osteoporosis therapy was commenced once diagnosis was confirmed.

Justifying the expense of the cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist

“…These audits frequently utilize quantitative data in addition to patient questionnaires to examine the effectiveness of the CNS (McGlynn et al 2004;Burrows & Humphrey 2006;Chapple et al 2006;Hambleton et al 2006;Miedany et al 2006). These audits frequently utilize quantitative data in addition to patient questionnaires to examine the effectiveness of the CNS (McGlynn et al 2004;Burrows & Humphrey 2006;Chapple et al 2006;Hambleton et al 2006;Miedany et al 2006).…”

“…An increasing number of reports in the literature are now attempting to evaluate or improve CNS care. These audits frequently utilize quantitative data in addition to patient questionnaires to examine the effectiveness of the CNS (McGlynn et al 2004;Burrows & Humphrey 2006;Chapple et al 2006;Hambleton et al 2006;Miedany et al 2006). The CNS has evolved to meet a clinical gap in patient care, and as a result, the role of a CNS is frequently nebulous or poorly defined (Vaz & Small 2007).…”

Evaluation of a “Just-in-Time” Nurse Consultation on Bone Health: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

“…[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Evaluation designs for assessing impact of these nurse interventions include pre-/postintervention designs with or without controls, as well as randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Durations of health outcome assessments range from several months to a year or more.…”

Current status of clinical nursing specialists and the demands of osteoporosis specialized nurses in Mainland China

“…Recent studies have shown that the OP CNS provides cost-effective nursing service to patients, while at the same time, reducing the strain on inadequate numbers of physicians and imbalanced distribution of medical sources [78e80]. Moreover, an assessment of falls in OP patients by an OP CNS was approved in 2004 by Darent Valley Hospital [78]. These examples demonstrate that the OP CNS has competence to deal with many tasks, including bone mass tests, risk assessments on falls and fractures in OP patients, and performing nursing interventions.…”