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News
A Worldwide Call to Action on Osteoporosis
In early 2008, The Joint Commission issued a monograph calling for improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis. Here's how they described the monograph:
"The Joint Commission used its established, consensus-driven and evidence based processes to develop 10 osteoporosis performance measures suitable for use by a variety of health care providers, including hospitals, home care agencies, rehabilitation facilities, nursing homes, and physician offices. Constructed by a technical advisory panel of expert physicians, dietitians, pharmacists, nurses, and others experienced in osteoporosis management and measure development, these measures are intended to be voluntarily used to increase the rates by which osteoporosis is diagnosed and treated, and to decrease the rates by which hip and other fragility fractures rob affected patients of their quality of life."
The Joint Commission. Improving and Measuring Osteoporosis Management. Oakbrook Terrace, IL: The Joint Commission; 2007.
Health leaders in the U.S. and around the world are calling for more stringent screening and treatment for osteoporosis. Following are highlights from the World Health Organization (WHO), The Joint Commission and National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF).
"At the most fundamental level, improving osteoporosis management is simply the right thing to do."
"In general, a good performance measure should raise important questions about the processes or outcomes of osteoporosis management, such as assessment, documentation, education, and treatment selection, as well as identifying opportunities for improvement."
"Given the incidence of low-impact, or fragility, fracture, and findings that many patients with fragility fracture are never tested or treated for osteoporosis, or when treated fail to persist in compliance with medication, improvement in care is a cornerstone of health care's humanitarian mission."
"Improved management of osteoporosis is necessary to respond to an aging population's increasing expectations for optimal health care and new standards or requirements, such as those set by insurers, government regulatory bodies, and other stakeholder groups."
"Despite ongoing advances in osteoporosis detection and treatment options, studies suggest that osteoporosis (a systemic skeletal disease leading to fracture, morbidity, and excess mortality) continues to be poorly managed, undertreated, and underdiagnosed."
"The lifetime risk for a wrist, hip or vertebral fracture has been estimated to be in the order of 30% to 40% in developed countries - in other words, very close to that for coronary heart disease."
"Osteoporosis is not only a major cause of fractures, it also ranks high among diseases that cause people to become bedridden with serious complications."
"The past 15 years have seen major improvements in diagnostic technology and assessment facilities; it is now possible to detect the disease before fractures occur."
"Osteoporosis can be prevented and can be diagnosed and treated before any fracture occurs."
"Prevention, detection, and treatment of osteoporosis should be a mandate of primary care providers."
"...it has become increasingly clear that many patients are not being given appropriate information about prevention; many patients are not having appropriate testing to diagnose osteoporosis or establish osteoporosis risk; and, once diagnosed (by testing or by the occurrence of a fracture), too many patients are not being prescribed any of the FDA-approved, effective therapies."
"Evaluate and consider the patient's physical and functional safety as well as psychological and social status, medical status, nutritional status, and medication use before prescribing a rehabilitation program."
"All postmenopausal women and older men should be evaluated clinically for osteoporosis risk."