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Multinational survey of osteoporotic fracture management

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Abstract

Osteoporosis is characterized by a decreased bone mass and an increased bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture. Patients with a fragility fracture at any site have an increased risk of sustaining future fractures. Orthopedic surgeons manage most of these fractures and are often the only physician seen by the patient. Mounting evidence that orthopedic surgeons are not well attuned to osteoporosis led the Bone and Joint Decade (BJD) and the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) to survey 3,422 orthopedic surgeons in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. The majority of the respondents in all countries had the opinion that the orthopedic surgeon should identify and initiate the assessment of osteoporosis in patients with fragility fractures. Heterogeneous practice pattern exist in different countries; however, identification and treatment of the osteoporotic patient seems to be insufficient in many areas: half of the orthopedic surgeons surveyed received little or no training in osteoporosis. Only approximately one in four orthopedic surgeons in France, the UK and New Zealand regarded themselves as knowledgeable about treatment modalities. Less than one-fifth of the orthopedic surgeons arranged for a surgically treated patient with a fragility fracture to have a bone mineral density (BMD) test. Twenty percent said that they never refer a patient after a fragility fracture for BMD. Only half of the orthopedic surgeons in southern Europe know about the importance of some external risk factors for hip fractures (cataracts, poor lighting, pathway obstacles, poor balance). In summary, this survey clearly indicates that many orthopedic surgeons still neglect to identify, assess and treat patients with fragility fractures for osteoporosis. More educational opportunities need to be offered to orthopedic surgeons through articles, web-based learning and educational seminars. Development of a simple clinical pathway from evidence-based guidelines is an important step to ensure that optimal care is provided for patients with fragility fractures.

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Acknowledgment

The BJD and the IOF are grateful for the cooperation and input of the national organizations that participated in the survey: British Orthopaedic Association (BOA); Deutsche Gesellschaft für Orthopädie und Orthopädische Chirurgie (DGOOC); La Société Française de Chirurgie Orthopédique et Traumatologie (SOFCOT); New Zealand Orthopaedic Association (NZOT); Sociedad Española de Cirurgia Ortopédica y Traumatologia (SECOT); Società Italiana di Ortopedia e Traumatologia (SIOT). Special acknowledgment is due to Dr. John Kaufman and the Osteoporosis Interest Group of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons for providing the survey questionnaire prototype, to the WOOO for developing the recommendations for fracture care, to Jan-Åke Nilsson for statistical consultation and to Sabrina Baumann and Agneta Jönsson for coordinating participating centers and support throughout the process. The study was funded by grants from the IOF and the BJD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics, Rehabilitationskrankenhaus, Ulm University, Oberer Eselsberg 45, 89081, Ulm, Germany

    Karsten E. Dreinhöfer

  2. International Osteoporosis Foundation, Mill Valley, California, USA

    Mary Anderson

  3. Service de Chirurgie orthopédique et traumatologique, Hopital Tenon, Paris, France

    Jean-Marc Féron

  4. Servicio de Cirugia Orthopédica y Traumatologia, Hospital Universitario “Miguel Servet”, Zaragoza, Spain

    Antonio Herrera

  5. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Martin-Luther University, Halle, Germany

    Robert Hube

  6. Department of Orthopaedics, Malmö General Hospital, Malmö, Sweden

    Olof Johnell

  7. Department of Orthopaedics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Lars Lidgren

  8. New Zealand Orthopaedic Association, Wellington, New Zealand

    Kim Miles

  9. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Umberto Tarantino

  10. Department of Orthopaedics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Hamish Simpson

  11. Department of Orthopaedics, University Hospital, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK

    W. Angus Wallace

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  1. Karsten E. Dreinhöfer
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  2. Mary Anderson
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  3. Jean-Marc Féron
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  4. Antonio Herrera
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  5. Robert Hube
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  6. Olof Johnell
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  7. Lars Lidgren
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  8. Kim Miles
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  9. Umberto Tarantino
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  10. Hamish Simpson
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  11. W. Angus Wallace
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Correspondence to Karsten E. Dreinhöfer.

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Dreinhöfer, K.E., Anderson, M., Féron, JM. et al. Multinational survey of osteoporotic fracture management. Osteoporos Int 16 (Suppl 2), S44–S53 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-004-1700-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-004-1700-8

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