Establishing an osteoporosis service

Conclusion

When developing a service provision plan, one should look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats — a “SWOT” analysis. The strengths include the staff and facilities but the weaknesses are the limited funding and long waiting lists: The opportunity is the current increased public awareness of osteoporosis and the threat might be local competition. It is easy to get lost in the purchaser/provider maze and this is the situation of many business plans currently being developed. It is essential, however, to develop a service with a lead clinician, in order to promote the development and funding services for osteoporosis, evidence-based clinical guidelines for the management of osteoporosis, and a comprehensive clinical service providing expert counselling, bone density measurement and expert treatment. It is also essential to educate health professionals and the public to improve the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.