UK clinical guideline for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis An interdisciplinary knowledge translation intervention in long-term care: Study protocol for the vitamin D and osteoporosis study (ViDOS) pilot cluster randomized controlled trial [Optimization of calcium intake for the prevention of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures: a review of the evidence]. What is the impact of osteoporosis education and bone mineral density testing for postmenopausal women in a managed care setting? Effectiveness of a community-based osteoporosis education and self-management course: a wait list controlled trial The risk of osteoporosis in oral steroid treatment for nasal polyposis: a systematic review. A pilot randomized controlled trial of a decision aid with tailored fracture risk tool delivered via a patient portal Osteoporosis clinical trials endpoints: candidate variables and clinimetric properties. The impact of two educational interventions on osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment after fragility fracture: a population-based randomized controlled trial Self-Efficacy Program to Prevent Osteoporosis Among Chinese Immigrants: A Randomized Controlled Trial A randomized controlled trial of mailed osteoporosis education to older adults Pharmacologic Treatment of Low Bone Density or Osteoporosis to Prevent Fractures: A Clinical Practice Guideline from the American College of Physicians Digital Education in Health Professions: The Need for Overarching Evidence Synthesis Treatment of Low Bone Density or Osteoporosis to Prevent Fractures in Men and Women: A Clinical Practice Guideline Update From the American College of Physicians. The effect of exercise and education on fear of falling in elderly women with osteoporosis and a history of vertebral fracture: results of a randomized controlled trial American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists medical guidelines for clinical practice for the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis: 2001 edition, with selected updates for 2003. A systematic review of workplace interventions to prevent low back pain. Screening for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis: A Review of the Evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force A multifaceted intervention to improve treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women with wrist fractures: a cluster randomized trial A Controlled Trial To Increase Detection and Treatment of Osteoporosis in Older Patients with a Wrist Fracture A blinded randomized controlled trial of motivational interviewing to improve adherence with osteoporosis medications: design of the OPTIMA trial The Women's Health Initiative calcium-vitamin D trial: overview and baseline characteristics of participants. The effectiveness of an osteoporosis prevention education programme for women in Hong Kong: a randomized controlled trial.
Introduction In 2008 , the UK National Osteoporosis Guideline Group ( NOGG ) produced a guideline on the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis , with an up date in 2013 . This paper presents a major up date of the guideline , the scope of which is to review the assessment and management of osteoporosis and the prevention of fragility fractures in postmenopausal women and men age 50 years or over . Methods Where available , systematic review s , meta-analyses and r and omised controlled trials were used to provide the evidence base . Conclusions and recommendations were systematic ally grade d according to the strength of the available evidence . Results Review of the evidence and recommendations are provided for the diagnosis of osteoporosis , fracture-risk assessment , lifestyle measures and pharmacological interventions , duration and monitoring of bisphosphonate therapy , glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis , osteoporosis in men , postfracture care and intervention thresholds . Conclusion The guideline , which has received accreditation from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence ( NICE ) , provides a comprehensive overview of the assessment and management of osteoporosis for all healthcare professionals who are involved in its management Background Knowledge translation ( KT ) research in long-term care ( LTC ) is still in its early stages . This protocol describes the evaluation of a multifaceted , interdisciplinary KT intervention aim ed at integrating evidence -based osteoporosis and fracture prevention strategies into LTC care processes . Methods and design The Vitamin D and Osteoporosis Study ( ViDOS ) is underway in 40 LTC homes ( n = 19 intervention , n = 21 control ) across Ontario , Canada . The primary objectives of this study are to assess the feasibility of delivering the KT intervention , and clinical ly , to increase the percent of LTC residents prescribed ≥800 IU of vitamin D daily . Eligibility criteria are LTC homes that are serviced by our partner pharmacy provider and have more than one prescribing physician . The target audience within each LTC home is the Professional Advisory Committee ( PAC ) , an interdisciplinary team who meets quarterly . The key elements of the intervention are three interactive educational sessions led by an expert opinion leader , action planning using a quality improvement cycle , audit and feedback reports , nominated internal champions , and reminders/point-of-care tools . Control homes do not receive any intervention , however both intervention and control homes received educational material s as part of the Ontario Osteoporosis Strategy . Primary outcomes are feasibility measures ( recruitment , retention , attendance at educational sessions , action plan items identified and initiated , internal champions identified , performance reports provided and review ed ) , and vitamin D ( ≥800 IU/daily ) prescribing at 6 and 12 months . Secondary outcomes include the proportion of residents prescribed calcium supplements and osteoporosis medications , and falls and fractures . Qualitative methods will examine the experience of the LTC team with the KT intervention . Homes are central ly r and omized to intervention and control groups in blocks of variable size using a computer generated allocation sequence . R and omization is stratified by home size and profit/nonprofit status . Prescribing data retrieval and analysis are performed by blinded personnel . Discussion Our study will contribute to an improved underst and ing of the feasibility and acceptability of a multifaceted intervention aim ed at translating knowledge to LTC practitioners . Lessons learned from this study will be valuable in guiding future research and underst and ing the complexities of translating knowledge in LTC.Trial registration Clinical Trials.gov NCT01398527 One of the main focuses of lifestyle modification for the prevention of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures  in Japan is improvement in dietary calcium intake . However , virtually no r and omized controlled trial to assess the preventive effects of administration of calcium on the risk of fractures has been conducted in Japan . In this study , we review ed all the scientific papers currently available from medical literature data bases to propose evidence -based recommendations on the preventive procedures for osteoporosis . The result of the present systematic review gives the evidence showing that calcium supplementation or optimal dietary calcium intake increases bone density in childhood and adolescence and reduces the risk of fracture due to osteoporosis in the elderly people regardless of the gender . The evidence also supports the current health policy guiding the elderly to increase their dietary calcium intake in daily life Objective To assess whether osteoporosis education , with and without bone mineral density ( BMD ) testing , increases the initiation of lifestyle changes and pharmaceutical treatment to prevent osteoporosis . Design A total of 508 women , aged 54–65 , from a large managed care organization who were not on osteoporosis prevention therapy participated in an intervention study . Participants were r and omly assigned to either an education class on osteoporosis ( n = 301 ) or education plus BMD ( n = 207 ) . A control group of 187 women receiving no intervention were also surveyed to serve as comparison . Group differences and differences based on BMD test result were compared 6 months after education regarding self-reported changes in health behaviors using & khgr;2 tests and logistic regression analyses . Results Of the 508 intervention participants , 455 ( 90 % ) responded to the follow-up survey . Initiation of hormone replacement therapy was reported by 9 % , with 5 % reporting starting alendronate . More than half reported changes in diet , exercise , or calcium intake . Forty-three percent increased their vitamin D intake . There were no significant group differences in behavior except with regard to pharmaceutical therapy ; subjects with education plus BMD were three times more likely than those receiving education only to report starting hormone replacement therapy ( p = 0.004 ) . Low BMD scores were associated with increasing vitamin D intake ( p = 0.03 ) and starting medication ( p = 0.001 ) . Women in the intervention groups were significantly more likely to report modifying their diet ( p < 0.001 ) , calcium ( p < 0.01 ) , and vitamin D intake ( p < 0.0001 ) than women in the control group , not exposed to education . Conclusion Education regarding osteoporosis prevention seems to encourage women to make lifestyle changes . The inclusion of BMD testing enhances the likelihood that women will consider pharmaceutical therapy Summary Osteoporosis is an increasing burden on individuals and health re sources . The Osteoporosis Prevention and Self-Management Course ( OPSMC ) was design ed to assist individuals to prevent and manage osteoporosis ; however , it had not been evaluated in an Australian setting . This r and omised controlled trial showed that the course increased osteoporosis knowledge . Introduction and hypothesisOsteoporosis is a major and growing public health concern . An OPSMC was design ed to provide individuals with information and skills to prevent or manage osteoporosis , but its effectiveness has not previously been evaluated . This study aim ed to determine whether OPSMC attendance improved osteoporosis knowledge , self-efficacy , self-management skills or behaviour . Material s and methods Using a wait list r and omised controlled trial design , 198 people ( 92 % female ) recruited from the community and aged over 40 ( mean age = 63 ) were r and omised into control ( n = 95 ) and intervention ( n = 103 ) groups . The OPSMC consists of four weekly sessions which run for 2 h and are led by two facilitators . The primary outcome were osteoporosis knowledge , health-directed behaviour , self-monitoring and insight and self-efficacy . Results The groups were comparable at baseline . At 6-week follow-up , the intervention group showed a significant increase in osteoporosis knowledge compared with the control group ; mean change 3.5 ( p < 0.001 ) on a measure of 0–20 . The intervention group also demonstrated a larger increase in health-directed behaviour , mean change 0.16 ( p < 0.05 ) , on a measure of 0–6 . Conclusion The results indicate that the OPSMC is an effective intervention for improving underst and ing of osteoporosis and some aspects of behaviour in the short term BACKGROUND Systemic glucocorticoids are often used in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps ( CRSwNP ) , and osteoporosis is a well-known complication to steroid treatment , associated with significant morbidity . Nevertheless , the burden of steroid induced osteoporosis is unknown in patients with CRSwNP . We aim ed to assess the risk of acquiring osteoporosis caused by oral steroids in patients with CRSwNP , and provide recommendations on future research and guidelines . METHODOLOGY Cochrane Review Data base , EMBASE , Ovid Medline , and PubMed were search ed for studies including adult patients with CRSwNP treated with oral steroids .  Outcomes were Bone Mineral Density ( BMD ) and prevalence of fractures in relation to dose and duration of oral steroids . In addition , we review ed general guidelines for treatment with oral steroids . RESULTS We identified two studies ( n=243 ) that met the inclusion criteria . Doses and duration s of oral steroids were over 5 mg/day for more than 3 months and 1 mg/kg body weight/day for 6 to 10 days for 4 or more courses/year . The prevalence of low bone mass was 39 % and 61 % , respectively . It was not possible to quantify the overall risk of osteoporosis induced by oral steroids from the studies . No studies evaluated prevalence of fracture . CONCLUSIONS Registry studies and r and omized controlled trials would be needed to assess the risk of osteoporosis in CRSwNP patients and future guidelines should include recommendations regarding preventive treatment and recommendations on doses and duration s of oral steroids Summary We tested the feasibility of a fracture prevention decision aid in an online patient portal . The decision aid was acceptable for patients and successfully decreased decisional conflict . This study suggests the possible utility of leveraging the patient portal to enhance patient education and decision making in osteoporosis care . Introduction Although interventions have improved osteoporosis screening and /or treatment for certain population s of high-risk patients , recent national studies suggest that large-scale uptake of these interventions has been limited . We aim ed to determine the feasibility and potential efficacy of a patient portal-based osteoporosis decision aid ( DA ) . Methods We conducted a pilot r and omized controlled trial of primary care patients aged ≥55 who were enrolled in a patient portal and had a T-score of < −1 . Intervention subjects were provided a link to a patient DA . The DA contained a 10-year fracture risk calculator , summary of medication risks and benefits ( prescription and nonprescription ) , and an elicitation of values . Subjects completed question naires assessing the primary outcomes of decisional conflict and preparation for decision making and secondary outcomes related to feasibility and planning for a larger trial . Charts were review ed for physician-subject interactions and medication uptake . Results The DA was acceptable to subjects , but 17 % of the patients in the decision aid arm incorrectly entered their T-scores into FRAX-based risk calculator . Decisional conflict was lower post-intervention for those who were r and omized to the decision aid arm compared to controls ( 17.8 vs. 47.1 , p < .001 ) , and there was a significant difference in the percentage of patients who made a treatment decision at 3 months . No significant differences were observed in medication uptake . Conclusions A portal-based osteoporosis DA  was acceptable and improved several measures of decision quality . Given its effect on improving the quality of patients ’ decisions , future studies should examine whether it improves physician guideline adherence or medication adherence uptake among treated patients We review ed evidence on endpoints used in osteoporosis clinical trials to assist in the development of a set of endpoints to be included in all trials . A MEDLINE search was conducted using the Cochrane Collaboration strategy for each endpoint . Additional published literature was obtained from content experts . A proposed list of endpoints was developed after consultation with experts in the field . Each endpoint was evaluated with respect to validity , reproducibility , redundancy , and feasibility . We classified the endpoints into 2 major categories : clinical health status outcomes and intermediate endpoints , and for each endpoint we present current evidence from the literature as pertains to defined method ologic criteria . Multiple endpoints have been used in osteoporosis clinical trials , and an agreement on a core set of measures needs to be evidence based with an emphasis on validity , reproducibility , and feasibility and to satisfy clinical credibility Summary This study assessed whether osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment after an osteoporotic fracture  can be increased by providing osteoporosis reading material to patients and family doctors or by watching a videocassette about osteoporosis . Educating patients about osteoporosis had little impact on whether a woman received an osteoporosis diagnosis or treatment . Introduction The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of two education-based interventions on osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment in women ≥50 years of age after fragility fracture . Methods Six to eight months after fracture , women were r and omized into three groups : ( 1 ) control , ( 2 ) written material s , or ( 3 ) videocassette and written material s. Written material s for both the patient and physician detailed osteoporosis , fragility fracture , and available treatments ; written material s for physicians were provided through patients . The educational videocassette presented similar information as the written material , but in greater depth . Rates of osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment following intervention were compared among groups using survival analysis methods . Statistical significance was set at p < 0.0167 . Results At r and omization , 1,174 women were without osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment , and after follow-up , 12 % of the control group , 15 % of the written material s group ( p = 0.073 ) , and 16 % ( p = 0.036 ) of the videocassette and written material s group were diagnosed with osteoporosis ( statistical comparisons to control ) . Treatment rates were 8 % for the control group , 12 % for the written material s group ( p = 0.052 ) , and 11 % for the videocassette and written material s group ( p = 0.157 ) . At r and omization , 1,314 women were without treatment and after follow-up therapy was initiated in 10 % of the control group , 13 % of the written material s group ( p = 0.107 ) , and 13 % of the videocassette and written material s group ( p = 0.238 ) . Conclusions The educational interventions assessed in this trial were not satisfactory to increase osteoporosis diagnosis or treatment in recently fractured women to a clinical ly meaningful degree Background : Recent Chinese immigrants have a low bone mineral density and are at a great risk for developing osteoporosis . The majority of Chinese men and women of all ages have inadequate information about their risks for developing osteoporosis and are seldom involved in preventive activities . Objectives : The aim of this study was to evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of an educational intervention based on the self-efficacy theory aim ed at increasing the knowledge of osteoporosis and adoption of preventive behaviors , including regular exercise and osteoporosis medication adherence , design ed for Chinese immigrants , aged 45 years or above , living in the United States . Methods : A r and omized controlled trial was employed , using a repeated-measure design . Foreign-born M and arin-speaking Asians ( n = 110 ) were recruited to the study , and 83 of them ( mean age = 64.08 years , SD = 9.48 years ) were assigned r and omly to either the intervention group ( n = 42 ) or the attention control group ( n = 41 ) . There were 63 ( 75.9 % ) women and 20 ( 24.1 % ) men . Data were collected at baseline and 2 weeks after the intervention . Results : The participants who received the intervention had statistically significant improvements ( p < .05 ) at 2 weeks postintervention with respect to osteoporosis-related knowledge , self-efficacy for exercise , and osteoporosis medication adherence . Moreover , the participants in the treatment group spent more time on moderate exercise , had higher energy expenditure on exercise , and had more osteoporosis medication use at 2 weeks postintervention when compared with controls . Discussion : The intervention targeting M and arin-speaking immigrants was effective in increasing the knowledge of osteoporosis and improving the adoption of preventive behaviors . Future research is needed to explore the long-term effect of this intervention on bone health behavior Introduction Osteoporosis represents a growing public health concern ; however , current rates of management are sub-optimal . The aim of our study was to assess , in a r and omized controlled trial , the effect of a mailed educational intervention on older adults ’ knowledge , attitudes , and preventive behaviors regarding osteoporosis . The setting was a large publicly funded state pharmacy benefits program . The patients were 31,715 Medicare beneficiaries from Pennsylvania who participated in a drug benefits program for low-to-moderate income elderly people . Methods All women aged over 65 years , and all men and women with a history of fracture or long-term oral use of glucocorticoid , were included . Approximately half of the participants ( intervention group ) were r and omly selected to receive three mailings aim ed at improving knowledge of osteoporosis and enhancing preventive activities , such as using calcium and vitamin D , reducing fall risks in the home , obtaining a bone mineral density ( BMD ) test , and taking medications when necessary . The other participants did not receive the intervention mailings and served as controls . We surveyed a sample of intervention and control subjects to determine the effects of the intervention on knowledge , attitudes , self-efficacy ( confidence in one ’s ability to perform specific activities ) , and behavior regarding osteoporosis prevention and treatment . Six hundred r and omly selected participants in the intervention group and an equal number in the control group were invited to participate . Results Twenty-six had died and 636 of the remaining 1,185 ( 54 % ) completed the survey . Respondents and non-respondents did not differ significantly with respect to measured sociodemographic factors . All scales had good reliability ( all Cronbach ’s alphas > 0.65 ) . Knowledge of osteoporosis was generally very good and did not differ between intervention ( mean = 65 % correct responses ) and control subjects ( mean = 67 % correct ; P=0.4 ) . Perceived susceptibility to osteoporosis was relatively high and similar across groups ( P=0.4 ) . Self-efficacy for participating in osteoporosis prevention and treatment was very strong in both the intervention ( mean = 4.3 on a 0–5 scale ) and control ( mean = 4.2 , P=0.03 ) groups . On average , subjects in the intervention group reported participating in 3.5 of 6 preventive osteoporosis activities compared with 3.4 in the control group ( P=0.5 ) . Conclusions Compared with the controls , a mailed educational intervention for osteoporosis was not associated with better knowledge , higher perceived susceptibility , or performance of preventive measures among the at-risk older adults that we studied . The intervention group demonstrated a small increase in self-efficacy . More intensive patient interventions or intervention aim ed at other aspects of the care process may be required to bring about changes that lead to a reduction in fractures The National Institutes of Health 's consensus conference ( 1 ) defined osteoporosis as a skeletal disorder characterized by compromised bone strength predisposing to an increased risk for fracture . Bone strength reflects the integration of two main features : bone density and bone quality .Bone quality refers to architecture , turnover , damage accumulation ( e.g. , microfractures ) , and mineralization . Although osteoporosis can affect any bone , the hip , spine , and wrist are most likely to be affected . Osteoporosis affects an estimated 44 million Americans or 55 % of people 50 years of age or older . Another 34 million Americans are estimated to have low bone mass , meaning that they are at an increased risk for osteoporosis . Osteoporosis can be diagnosed by the occurrence of fragility fracture . In patients without fragility fracture , osteoporosis is often diagnosed by low bone density .  Dual x-ray absorptiometry ( DXA ) is the current gold st and ard test for diagnosing osteoporosis in people without an osteoporotic fracture .  Dual x-ray absorptiometry results are scored as st and ard deviations ( SDs ) from a young healthy norm ( usually female ) and reported as T-scores . For example , a T-score of 2 indicates a bone mineral density that is 2 SDs below the comparative norm . The international reference st and ard for the description of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women and in men age 50 years or older is a femoral neck bone mineral density of 2.5 SD or more below the young female adult mean ( 2 ) . Low bone density , as measured by DXA , is an imperfect predictor of fracture risk , identifying fewer than half the people who go on to have an osteoporotic fracture . Screening guidelines for women are well established ( 3 ) , and the American College of Physicians ( ACP ) recently published guidelines on screening for men ( 4 ) . This guideline presents the available evidence on various pharmacologic treatments to prevent fractures in men and women with low bone density or osteoporosis . Medications used to treat osteoporosis may affect different parts of the skeletal system differently , and efficacy for vertebral fractures does not necessarily imply efficacy for nonvertebral fractures . The target audience for this guideline is all clinicians and the target patient population is all adult men and women with low bone density or osteoporosis . These recommendations are based on the systematic evidence review by MacLean and colleagues ( 5 ) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality sponsored Southern California Evidence -Based Practice Center evidence report ( 6 ) . The drugs currently approved for prevention of osteoporosis include alendronate , ib and ronate , risedronate , zoledronic acid , estrogen , and raloxifene . The drugs currently approved for treatment of osteoporosis include alendronate , ib and ronate , risedronate , calcitonin , teriparatide , zoledronic acid ( in postmenopausal women ) , and raloxifene . Testosterone , pamidronate , and etidronate are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment or prevention of osteoporosis . Methods The literature search done by MacLean and colleagues for the systematic review ( 5 ) included studies from MEDLINE ( 1966 to December 2006 ) , the ACP Journal Club data base , the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials ( no date limits ) , the Cochrane Data base of Systematic Review s ( no date limits ) , Web sites of the United Kingdom National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence ( no date limits ) , and the United Kingdom Health Technology Assessment Program ( January 1998 to December 2006 ) . The review ers limited their search to English- language publications and human studies . They derived evidence for comparative benefits of various treatments exclusively from r and omized , controlled trials , whereas they included evidence from other types of studies for short- and long-term harms . Two physicians independently abstract ed data about study population s , interventions , follow-up , and outcome ascertainment by using a structured form . For each group within a r and omized trial , a statistician extracted the sample size and number of persons reporting fractures . Two review ers , under the supervision of the statistician , independently abstract ed information about adverse events . The statistician or the principal investigator resolved disagreements . This guideline is based on an evaluation of 76 r and omized , controlled trials , 4 of which were identified in the up date d search , and 24 meta-analyses that were included in the efficacy analyses . The analyses of adverse events included 491 articles , representing 417 r and omized trials , 25 other controlled clinical trials , 11 open-label trials , 31 large observational studies , and 9 case reports of osteonecrosis among bisphosphonate users . MacLean and colleagues ' background article ( 5 ) includes details about the methods used for the systematic evidence review . The ACP rates the evidence and recommendations by using the Grading of Recommendations , Assessment , Development , and Evaluation ( GRADE ) system with minor modifications ( Table 1 ) . In addition , the evidence review ers used predefined criteria to assess the quality of systematic review s and r and omized trials , based on internal and external validity assessment s detailed in the Quality of Reporting of Meta-Analyses ( QUOROM ) statement ( 7 ) . Table 1 . The American College of Physicians ' Guideline Grading System The objective of this guideline is to synthesize the evidence for the following questions : What are the comparative benefits in fracture reduction among and also within the following treatments for low bone density :  bisphosphonates , specifically alendronate , risedronate , etidronate , ib and ronate , pamidronate , and zoledronic acid ; calcitonin ; estrogen for women ; teriparatide ; selective estrogen receptor modulators ( SERMs ) , specifically raloxifene and tamoxifen ; testosterone for men ; vitamins and minerals , specifically vitamin D and calcium ; and the combination of calcium plus vitamin D ? How does fracture reduction result ing from treatments vary among individuals with different risks for fracture as determined by bone mineral density ( borderline , low , or severe ) , previous fractures ( prevention vs. treatment ) , age , sex , glucocorticoid use , and other factors ( such as community-dwelling vs. institutionalized or vitamin Ddeficient vs. not ) ? What are the short- and long-term harms ( adverse effects ) of these therapies , and do these vary by specific sub population s ? Comparative Benefits of Drugs versus Placebo in Fracture Reduction Evidence from 24 meta-analyses ( 830 ) and 35 additional r and omized trials published after the meta-analyses ( 3165 ) described the effect of 9 of the 14 agents ( alendronate , etidronate , risedronate , calcitonin , estrogen , teriparatide , raloxifene , calcium , and vitamin D ) on fracture incidence . For 4 agents ( ib and ronate , pamidronate , zoledronic acid , and tamoxifen ) , the review ers found no meta-analyses and instead gathered the evidence from 14 r and omized trials ( 6679 ) . No studies were found that reported fracture rates for testosterone . Three r and omized trials ( 35 , 80 , 81 ) and 1 meta- analysis ( 82 ) evaluated the combination of calcium plus vitamin D  on fractures .  Bisphosphonates Good- quality evidence showed that alendronate , etidronate , ib and ronate , and risedronate prevent vertebral fractures . In addition , evidence from good- quality studies demonstrated that both alendronate and risedronate prevent nonvertebral and hip fractures . Two large r and omized trials showed that zoledronic acid prevents vertebral and nonvertebral fractures in high-risk population s and reduces the risk for hip fracture ( 67 , 74 ) . Ib and ronate has not been shown to reduce nonvertebral fractures ( 68 ) . Of the 6 fairly small trials that looked at vertebral fractures , 1 demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in fractures with pamidronate relative to placebo ( 0.14 [ 95 % CI , 0.03 to 0.72 ] ) ( 73 ) . However , after these data were pooled , the pooled risk estimate for fractures for pamidronate relative to placebo was not significant ( 0.52 [ CI , 0.21 to 1.24 ] ) ( 6 ) . Calcitonin Fair- quality evidence shows that calcitonin reduces vertebral fractures ( 83 , 84 ) . Good- quality evidence indicates that calcitonin does not reduce nonvertebral fractures ( 13 , 16 ) . Estrogen Good- quality evidence shows that estrogen reduces the incidence of vertebral ( 29 , 85 ) , nonvertebral ( 86 ) , and hip fractures ( 85 ) . Teriparatide Good- quality evidence shows that teriparatide prevents vertebral fractures . The evidence related to teriparatide preventing nonvertebral fractures is mixed ; 1 large r and omized trial showed a reduction in nonvertebral fractures ( 34 ) but 2 small trials did not ( 87 , 88 ) . SERMs Good- quality evidence shows that raloxifene prevents vertebral fractures , but that tamoxifen has no effect on vertebral fractures ( 8991 ) . In addition , both raloxifene and tamoxifen had no effect on hip fractures ( 91 ) . Tamoxifen is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment or prevention of osteoporosis . Testosterone No studies reported fracture rates for testosterone . Calcium and Vitamin D In the studies evaluated by MacLean and colleagues ( 5 ) , the evidence for the effect of calcium alone on reduction of fractures is complex . Most studies of pharmacologic agents for osteoporosis include calcium and vitamin D as part of the treatment regimen . Evidence from 1 meta- analysis ( 27 ) and several r and omized trials ( 35 , 48 , 51 , 92 ) showed no significant difference between calcium and placebo in preventing vertebral , nonvertebral , and hip fractures in postmenopausal women . However , nonadherence to therapy may influence this result , and 1 trial with a prespecified analysis of adherent patients found a reduction in fracture risk ( 48 ) . A recent meta- analysis ( 82 ) concluded that the relative risk ( RR ) for fracture with calcium alone was 0.90 ( CI , 0.80 to 1.00 ) , but it did not include a modestly large trial with negative results ( 35 ) . MacLean and colleagues ( 5 ) Synthesizing evidence from r and omized controlled trials of  digital health education  poses some challenges . These include a lack of clear categorization of digital health education in the literature ; constantly evolving concepts , pedagogies , or theories ; and a multitude of methods , features , technologies , or delivery setting s. The Digital Health Education Collaboration was established to evaluate the evidence on digital education in health professions ; inform policymakers , educators , and students ; and ultimately , change the way in which these professionals learn and are taught . The aim of this paper is to present the overarching methodology that we use to synthesize evidence across our digital health education review s and to discuss challenges related to the process . For our research , we followed Cochrane recommendations for the conduct of systematic review s ; all review s are reported according to the PRISMA ( Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review s and Meta-Analyses ) guidance . This included assembling experts in various digital health education fields ; identifying gaps in the evidence base ; formulating focused research questions , aims , and outcome measures ; choosing appropriate search terms and data bases ; defining inclusion and exclusion criteria ; running the search es jointly with librarians and information specialists ; managing abstract s ; retrieving full-text versions of papers ; extracting and storing large data sets , critically appraising the quality of studies ; analyzing data ; discussing findings ; drawing meaningful conclusions ; and drafting research papers . The approach used for synthesizing evidence from digital health education trials is commonly regarded as the most rigorous benchmark for conducting systematic review s. Although we acknowledge the presence of certain biases ingrained in the process , we have clearly highlighted and minimized those biases by strictly adhering to scientific rigor , method ological integrity , and st and ard operating procedures . This paper will be a valuable asset for research ers and method ologists undertaking systematic review s in digital health education Description This guideline up date s the 2008 American College of Physicians ( ACP ) recommendations on treatment of low bone density and osteoporosis to prevent fractures in men and women . This guideline is endorsed by the American Academy of Family Physicians . Methods The ACP Clinical Guidelines Committee based these recommendations on a systematic review of r and omized controlled trials ; systematic review s ; large observational studies ( for adverse events ) ; and case reports ( for rare events ) that were published between 2 January 2005 and 3 June 2011 . The review was up date d to July 2016 by using a machine-learning method , and a limited up date to October 2016 was done . Clinical outcomes evaluated were fractures and adverse events . This guideline focuses on the comparative benefits and risks of short- and long-term pharmacologic treatments for low bone density , including pharmaceutical prescriptions , calcium , vitamin D , and estrogen . Evidence was grade d according to the GRADE ( Grading of Recommendations Assessment , Development and Evaluation ) system . Target Audience and Patient Population The target audience for this guideline includes all clinicians . The target patient population includes men and women with low bone density and osteoporosis . Recommendation 1 ACP recommends that clinicians offer pharmacologic treatment with alendronate , risedronate , zoledronic acid , or denosumab to reduce the risk for hip and vertebral fractures in women who have known osteoporosis . ( Grade : strong recommendation ; high- quality evidence ) . Recommendation 2 ACP recommends that clinicians treat osteoporotic women with pharmacologic therapy for 5 years . ( Grade : weak recommendation ; low- quality evidence ) . Recommendation 3 ACP recommends that clinicians offer pharmacologic treatment with bisphosphonates to reduce the risk for vertebral fracture in men who have clinical ly recognized osteoporosis . ( Grade : weak recommendation ; low- quality evidence ) . Recommendation 4 ACP recommends against bone density monitoring during the 5-year pharmacologic treatment period for osteoporosis in women . ( Grade : weak recommendation ; low- quality evidence ) . Recommendation 5 ACP recommends against using menopausal estrogen therapy or menopausal estrogen plus progestogen therapy or raloxifene for the treatment of osteoporosis in women . ( Grade : strong recommendation ; moderate- quality evidence ) . Recommendation 6 ACP recommends that clinicians should make the decision whether to treat osteopenic women 65 years of age or older who are at a high risk for fracture based on a discussion of patient preferences , fracture risk profile , and benefits , harms , and costs of medications . ( Grade : weak recommendation ; low- quality evidence ) Summary This article explores the effect of a group-based exercise program and an educational session on the fear of falling among 89 women with osteoporosis and a history of vertebral fracture . This r and omized clinical trial showed that the intervention had a positive and durable effect on the fear of falling . Introduction The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an intervention on fear of falling in women with osteoporosis and a history of vertebral fracture . Methods The study was a parallel-group r and omized clinical trial with a blinded assessor . The participants were 89 community-dwelling elderly women with osteoporosis and a history of vertebral fracture . The intervention group ( IT , n = 47 ) received a 3-month group-based circuit exercise program combined with a 3-h educational session focusing on the reduction of the risk of falls and challenges specific to osteoporosis and vertebral fractures . The control group ( CT , n = 42 ) continued with their usual activities . Clinical outcomes were assessed at baseline , postintervention and 12 months after r and omization . This article reports on the secondary outcome Falls Efficacy Scale — International ( FES-I ) from a previously reported trial . Results We found a significantly better result for the IT group compared with the CT group , both at 3 months ( p = 0.004 ) and 12 months ( p < 0.001 ) follow-up . The effect size at 3 months was small ( 0.4 ) and at 12 months moderate ( 0.7 ) . Multiple regression analysis confirmed the effect of the intervention . Conclusion The intervention had a positive and durable effect on fear of falling as measured with the * The up date s are underlined for quick reference . INTRODUCTION A critical need exists for efficient , measurable systems of disease management that reconcile conflicts between socioeconomic responsibility and patient welfare . Clinical guidelines have become an important component of these systems because they address elements of care that are effective and that reduce the variability in our approach to patient management . The American Association of Clinical Endo-crinologists ( AACE ) 2001 Medical Guidelines for Clinical Practice for the Prevention and Management of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis address the prevention , diagnosis , and management of postmenopausal osteoporo-sis , a disorder that is recognized as a major public health problem because of its physical and socioeconomic consequences . They are intended to simplify medical decision making and to help physicians and their patients make good decisions about skeletal health and postmenopausal osteoporosis . The specific goals of these guidelines are to reduce the incidence of fractures related to osteoporosis and to achieve the highest quality of life for individual patients by using the most effective and efficient methods of diagnosis and management . In the preparation of this 2001 edition , reports in the peer- review ed literature dealing with prevention , diagnosis , and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis , which were published and indexed between 1996 ( the publication date of the previous edition of these guidelines ) and January 2001 , were identified by computer search , review ed , and grade d for clinical relevance and scientific merit . Although cost-effectiveness was carefully considered , variabilities in actual costs could not be accurately determined . Therefore , cost-effectiveness modeling was not undertaken . Whenever possible , recommendations were based on r and omized , prospect i ve , double-blind studies of well-defined patient population s. Studies that used the most relevant clinical endpoint , fracturing , were considered " level 1 " evidence . When level 1 evidence was not available , recommendations were based on cross-sectional studies , investigations that tested smaller or nonr and omized patient population s , or studies that tested secondary or surrogate clinical endpoints for fracture , such as bone mineral density ( BMD ) or bone turnover markers , in treated population s ( level 2 evidence ) . When stronger evidence was not available , review s , editorials , and expert opinions were used ( level 3 evidence ) . We recognize that the process of developing clinical guidelines necessarily results in a narrowing and codifica-tion of clinical choices , which can be inappropriate in some clinical situations . Because the application of objective information to the specific needs of patients is the ultimate responsibility of the practicing physician , clinical practice guidelines are not intended to be rigid or restrictive , nor A systematic review of r and omised controlled trials was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of  workplace interventions  to prevent low back pain .  Potential trials were located by a computerised search supplemented with citation tracking . The method ological quality of the trials was assessed on 11 criteria and the level of evidence for each intervention was determined , based upon the amount , consistency and quality of evidence from the trials . The review located 13 trials that were generally of moderate quality . The trials suggest that work place exercise is effective , braces and education are ineffective , and workplace modification plus education is of unknown value in preventing low back pain Half of all postmenopausal women will have an osteoporosis-related fracture during their lives , including one quarter who will develop a vertebral deformity ( 1 ) and 15 % who will suffer a hip fracture ( 2 ) . Hip fractures are associated with high mortality rates and loss of independence ( 3 , 4 ) . Although many vertebral fractures are detected only incidentally on radiography , some cause severe pain , leading to 150 000 hospital admissions per year in persons older than 65 years of age , 161 000 physician office visits , and more than 5 million days of restricted activity in those 45 years of age or older ( 5 ) . Low bone density has been used to predict risk for fractures as well as to diagnose osteoporosis . Osteoporosis has been defined as a systemic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue , leading to enhanced bone fragility and a consequent increase in fracture risk ( 6 , 7 ) . This definition emphasizes that , in addition to bone mass , the structure of bone is an important factor in the pathogenesis of fractures . A World Health Organization working group ( 8) proposed that osteoporosis should be diagnosed in epidemiologic studies when  bone mineral density  is 2.5 SDs or more below the mean for healthy young adult women at the spine , hip , or wrist ( corresponding to a T-score 2.5 ) or when patients have a history of atraumatic fracture ( 9 ) . By the World Health Organization definition , up to 70 % of women older than 80 years of age have osteoporosis ( 10 ) . Age is also an important factor in the relationship between bone density and the absolute risk for fracture . Older women have a much higher fracture rate than younger women with the same bone density because of increasing risk from other factors , such as bone quality and tendency to fall ( 11 ) . Despite the high prevalence of osteoporosis and the effect of fractures on mortality , independence , and quality of life , it is not clear whether it is appropriate to screen asymptomatic postmenopausal women . Recent systematic review s and guidelines disagree about which women should be screened and when ( 12 - 20 ) . This disagreement reflects , in part , gaps in the evidence . For example , most guidelines recommend using risk factors to select patients for bone density testing , but because of inadequate data there is no consensus on which risk factors to use . As part of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force up date of its 1996 recommendation ( 21 ) , we examined evidence on the benefits and harms of screening postmenopausal women for osteoporosis . Specifically , we addressed the role of risk factors in identifying high-risk women , techniques of bone density testing to identify fracture risks , effectiveness of treatment in reducing fracture risk , and harms of screening and treatment . Methods Additional methods used for this review , including determination of the quality of studies ( 22 ) , are detailed in Appendix Tables 1 , 2 , and 3 and in a separate report ( 23 ) . The analytic framework and key questions are detailed in the Appendix Figure . Relevant studies were identified from multiple search es of MEDLINE ( 1966 to May 2001 ) , HealthSTAR ( 1975 to May 2001 ) , and Cochrane data bases ; reference lists of systematic review s ; and experts . We also sent letters to manufacturers of bone density devices requesting additional information about the performance of their instruments , but we received no new data . Two review ers read each abstract to determine its eligibility . We included English- language abstract s that contained original data about postmenopausal women and osteoporosis and addressed screening or the effectiveness of risk factor assessment , bone density testing , or treatment . We considered screening to be the process of assessing postmenopausal women without known osteoporosis for risk of osteoporotic fractures by identification of risk factors , including low bone density . Postmenopausal women were those who had experienced surgical or natural menopause , regardless of age . Women with preexisting atraumatic fractures were not considered in the screening population because they had confirmed osteoporosis according to the World Health Organization definition . For studies of prediction , we selected articles that reported the relationship between risk factor assessment methods or bone density tests and bone density , bone loss , or fractures . We review ed studies of medications used for treatment and present results for bisphosphonates . We focused on r and omized , controlled trials of therapies reporting radiographically verified , nontraumatic fracture outcomes because fractures are a stronger measure of effectiveness than bone density . We excluded studies of primary prevention of osteoporosis , such as the role of nutrition , calcium consumption , and physical activity . We also excluded secondary causes of osteoporosis , such as corticosteroid use and certain chronic diseases , and studies that did not provide sufficient information to allow determination of the method for selecting patients and for analyzing data . Investigators read the full-text versions of the retrieved papers and reapplied the initial eligibility criteria . To assess the internal validity of individual studies , we applied a set of criteria developed by the third U.S. Preventive Services Task Force ( Appendix Table 1 ) ( 22 ) . In this paper , we highlight studies that are applicable to current practice st and ards , have high- quality internal validity ratings , and are most generalizable to the U.S. population of postmenopausal women under consideration for screening . We created an outcomes table to summarize the number of  hip and vertebral fractures  prevented based on age-specific prevalence rates and treatment effects obtained from results of the review ed studies . We conducted a sensitivity analysis to determine the influence of risk factors on the number needed to screen . This research was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality under a contract to support the work of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force . Agency staff and Task Force members participated in the initial design of the study and review ed interim analyses and the final manuscript . Additional reports were distributed for review to content experts and revised accordingly before preparation of this manuscript ( 23 , 24 ) . The authors are responsible for the content of the manuscript and the decision to su bmi t it for publication . Results Studies of Screening We identified no studies about the effectiveness of screening in reducing osteoporotic fractures . Without direct evidence from screening studies , recommendations about screening need to rely on evidence that risk factor assessment or bone density testing can adequately identify women who could ultimately benefit from treatment . Risk Factor Assessment Hundreds of studies report associations between risk factors and low bone density and fractures in postmenopausal women ( 24 ) . The most comprehensive study of risk factors in a U.S. population is the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures , a good- quality prospect i ve study of 9516 women 65 years of age and older ( 25 ) . In this study , 14 clinical risk factors were identified as significant predictors of hip fracture in multivariable models ( age ; maternal hip fracture ; no weight gain ; height ; poor self-rated health ; hyperthyroidism ; current use of benzodiazepines , anticonvulsants , or caffeine ; not walking for exercise ; lack of ambulation ; inability to rise from a chair ; poor scores on two measures of vision ; high resting pulse ; and any fracture since 50 years of age ) . The relative risk for hip fracture per decrease of 1 SD in calcaneal bone density was 1.6 ( 95 % CI , 1.3 to 1.9 ) . This was comparable to the magnitude of the relative risks of most of the other significant predictors in the model , which ranged from 1.2 to 2.0 . Women with at least 5 of the 14 risk factors had increased rates of hip fractures compared with those who had 0 to 2 risk factors at all levels of calcaneal bone density . To determine which risk factors could be important in women younger than 65 years of age , we review ed eight observational studies of risk factors and fractures of various types conducted in population s in which at least 50 % of participants were younger than 65 years of age . Table 1 lists risk factors that were statistically significant predictors for fractures in multivariable models ( 26 - 33 ) . These results could not be quantitatively combined because risk factors were defined differently in each study . Table 1 . Risk Factors for Fractures in Women 5065 Years of Age Results of risk factor studies have been used to assess risk in individuals . We identified 10 cross-sectional studies that described methods of determining risk for low bone density for individual women based on selected clinical risk factors ( Table 2 ) ( 34 - 43 ) . The most common method ologic limitations of these studies are lack of validation and lack of generalizability because of small numbers of patients or nonrepresentative patients . We also identified 8 studies of clinical risk factors to determine fracture risk ( Table 2 ) ( 44 - 51 ) . None of these studies received a good rating for internal validity . Four studies evaluated hip fracture outcomes , two evaluated vertebral fractures , and two evaluated all types of fractures . These studies described the association of risk factors with fractures known to have occurred already ( four casecontrol studies ) or how well they would predict fractures in the future ( four prospect i ve cohort studies ) . Table 2 . Studies of Risk Factor Assessment A recent study compared the performance of five clinical decision rules for bone density testing among 2365 postmenopausal women 45 years of age or older who were enrolled in a community-based study of osteoporosis in Canada ( 52 ) . These rules included guidelines from the National Osteoporosis Foundation ( 53 ) ; the Simple Calculated Osteoporosis Risk Estimation ( SCORE ) rule ( age , weight , ethnicity , estrogen use , Summary In a cluster r and omized trial , we evaluated the effect of a multifaceted intervention ( directed at both patient and primary care physician ) on the rates of testing and treatment of osteoporosis  in postmenopausal women within six months of their wrist fracture . Compared to usual care , women in the intervention practice s were three times more likely to receive bone mineral density testing and prescribed osteoporosis treatments . Introduction Postmenopausal women with wrist fractures are at increased risk of future fragility fractures , yet they frequently do not receive evaluation and treatment for osteoporosis . We set out to evaluate a multifaceted intervention design ed to improve management of osteoporosis in older women with recent wrist fractures . Methods Cluster r and omized trial of 270 women cared for in 119 primary care practice s. We recruited postmenopausal women with an acute wrist fracture from the emergency departments of hospitals in southeastern Ontario , Canada . Family practice s were r and omly assigned to either the intervention or usual care . The intervention consisted of a mailed reminder with a summary of treatment guidelines and letter sent to the primary care physician , in addition to an educational package and letter to the women . The primary outcome was the proportion of women prescribed osteoporosis therapy within 6 months of their fracture . Results The mean age of women was 69(10.9 ) years . The intervention increased the proportion of women started on osteoporosis medications ( 28 % vs. 10 % ) of controls , adjusted OR 3.45 , 95 % CI , 1.58–7.56 , p = 0.002 ) and the proportion who had a bone mineral density ( BMD ) test ( 53.3 % vs. 26 % ) of controls , OR 3.38 , 95 % CI , 1.83–6.26 , p < 0.001 ) . In addition to the intervention , having a female physician was a predictor of increased testing and treatment rates . Conclusion A multifaceted intervention significantly improved rates of osteoporosis treatment and BMD testing in postmenopausal women with wrist fractures Context Many patients who sustain fragility fractures do not receive subsequent testing and treatment for osteoporosis . Contribution This study shows that faxed reminders to physicians , treatment guidelines endorsed by opinion leaders , and patient education about osteoporosis can increase the testing and therapy for osteoporosis among patients who present to an emergency department with wrist fracture . Caution s This study did not r and omly assign persons to the intervention group and did not examine improvements in bone density or repeated fractures . The Editors Osteoporosis , a chronic and progressive condition that leads to decreased bone mass and skeletal fragility , may result in fractures , disability , pain , deformity , and even death ( 1 - 3 ) . The condition is common , affecting an estimated 1.4 million Canadians and 10 million Americans ( 1 , 2 ) . These figures represent 25 % of women and 12 % of men older than 50 years of age ( 1 , 2 ) . In the United States , the annual cost of treating osteoporosis and its sequelae has been estimated at $ 13.8 billion ( 2 ) , compared with $ 7.5 billion for congestive heart failure and $ 6.2 billion for asthma ( 3 ) . Without better preventive strategies , the rate of osteoporotic fractures is expected to double over the next 15 years ( 4 ) . Several experts ( 5 ) and guidelines ( 1 , 2 ) suggest a preventive strategy of identifying people with typical osteoporosis-related fractures ( for example , fractures of the hip , spine , or wrist [ often called fragility fractures ] ) and targeting them for treatment . They recommend this strategy because this population is at the greatest risk for subsequent fracture and may derive the greatest absolute benefit from treatment . Numerous safe and effective treatments can reduce the risk for recurrent fracture by 40 % to 60 % ( 1 - 3 , 6 ) . In addition , with the use of bisphosphonates and raloxifene , all subgroups of examined patients may obtain beneficial effects ( 3 , 7 - 9 ) within a year ( 7 , 8) . People 50 years of age and older with a fracture of the wrist may be particularly well suited to a strategy of case finding and secondary prevention . Fractures of the wrist are the most common symptomatic fracture related to osteoporosis ( 3 ) , and 70 % to 80 % of persons with wrist fractures have low bone mass ( 10 , 11 ) . Observational studies suggest that a wrist fracture is a sentinel event in the natural history of osteoporosis because this type of fracture forecasts an increased risk for fractures of the hip and spine over the next 10 to 20 years ( 12 - 14 ) . Best practice ( clinical practice consistent with current evidence and expert consensus ) would be to identify people 50 years of age or older with a fragility fracture of the wrist , to measure their bone mineral density , and to treat those with low bone mass or osteoporosis ( 1 , 2 , 5 ) . However , the gap between best practice and everyday clinical practice is wide . Over the past 5 to 10 years , studies from the United States ( 3 , 15 , 16 ) , Canada ( 17 , 18 ) , and elsewhere ( 5 , 19 ) report that rates of testing for and treating osteoporosis a year or longer after a fracture of the wrist are less than 10 % to 20 % . This is an important failure in the process of knowledge translation and indicates that benefits within our reach are not being achieved . We design ed a pragmatic , multifaceted osteoporosis intervention strategy directed at people 50 years of age or older with a fracture of the wrist and at their primary care physicians . The intervention consisted of physician reminders , treatment guidelines endorsed by local opinion leaders , and patient education . Our primary objective was to examine whether this intervention improved the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis in this high-risk population . Secondary objectives included examining the effect of this intervention on patients ' knowledge , satisfaction , and quality of life . Methods Setting and Participants Capital Health ( Edmonton , Alberta ) is one of the largest integrated health service delivery organizations in Canada ( 20 ) . It provides comprehensive health services for about 1 million people and has an annual budget of almost $ 2 billion ( Canadian ) ( 20 ) . Primary care is delivered by approximately 900 fee-for-service physicians . We enrolled participants from the 2 largest emergency departments in the region : the University of Alberta Hospital ( a university-based teaching hospital ) and the Royal Alex and ra Hospital ( a university-affiliated community teaching hospital ) . These emergency departments provide most of the fracture care and emergency orthopedic services to the region . Consecutive patients presenting to the emergency department with a wrist fracture were potentially eligible . Inclusion criteria were as follows : age 50 years or older ; any simple , closed fracture of the distal forearm ; and discharge home . We excluded patients who were already taking prescription treatments for osteoporosis . Because we did not ask patients whether they had a diagnosis of osteoporosis until study closeout , a patient with a history of osteoporosis who was not being treated with prescription medication was potentially eligible for inclusion . We also excluded patients who were unable to provide consent , were unwilling to participate , were admitted to the hospital , resided in a long-term care facility , resided outside the Capital Health region , or could not read and converse in English . Study Design and Patient Enrollment We conducted a prospect i ve controlled trial with blinded ascertainment of outcomes . To allocate patients to the intervention or usual care control groups , we adapted and modified an onoff 1-site study design for 2 sites ( 21 ) . For 1 month at a time , in sequential order , the intervention was on at 1 emergency department while it was off at the other . At the end of each month , research nurses alternated intervention status from on to off or vice versa . Patients with wrist fractures were treated , as appropriate , by emergency department physicians and then approached by research nurses or orthopedic technicians for enrollment in the study before discharge home . We obtained informed consent from each patient , and all data were maintained outside the emergency departments in a central ized secure file system . The University of Alberta Health Research Ethics Board approved the study . Intervention We design ed an intervention to overcome the many barriers that exist for primary care physicians who are trying to adopt evidence -based treatments for their patients with osteoporosis . Each of the 3 components of the intervention had published evidence of effectiveness ( 22 - 24 ) . Physician Reminders A reminder was generated for each patient and faxed to the primary care physician of record . The reminder notified physicians that their patient had recently been seen and treated in the emergency department for a wrist fracture and reminded them that their patient was now considered to be at increased risk for osteoporosis . Generating and sending the personalized and patient-specific reminder took about 6 minutes for each patient . Treatment Guidelines Generated and Endorsed by Opinion Leaders As part of the reminder , we provided brief evidence -based treatment recommendations . These guidelines were design ed to fit on the same page and emphasized 3 points : 1 ) The patient is at very high risk for osteoporosis and needs a bone mineral density measurement if one has not been performed in the past year ; 2 ) without treatment , the patient may be at increased risk for another fracture within the year ; and 3 ) bisphosphonate treatment will reduce the patient 's risk for fracture by about 50 % . Bisphosphonate alternatives ( for example , calcitonin , raloxifene , and hormone therapy ) were mentioned as second-line approved treatments because , at the time of study design , only the bisphosphonates had been demonstrated to prevent both vertebral and nonvertebral fractures . Using previously vali date d methods ( 25 , 26 ) , we recruited 5 osteoporosis opinion leaders who had been nominated by local primary care providers . The opinion leaders helped develop and then endorsed the guidelines by attaching their names and signatures . Patient Education We provided patients in the intervention group with a tailored , single-page summary of osteoporosis information that mirrored the physician material s described in the preceding paragraph . We reinforced these written material s with a brief telephone counseling session that took place within 1 week of the fracture . This counseling ( approximately 4 minutes per session ) reiterated the content of the written material s and encouraged patients to seek further information and counseling from their primary care physician . We did not provide intervention patients with any written material s or counseling regarding fall prevention or home safety . Control Patients ( Usual Care ) On the basis of surveys and in-depth interviews with emergency department physicians in Canada and the United States , the current st and ard of care for patients treated for a wrist fracture usually consists of 1 ) notification to the primary care physician of record that the patient was seen and treated and 2 ) information on follow-up plans . We ensured that such notifications occurred for all control patients . In addition , we enhanced usual care by ensuring that control patients received educational material s and telephone counseling regarding fall prevention and home safety . During the call , patients were encouraged to visit their primary care physician for more detailed advice and a medication review . They did not receive any counseling or educational material s about osteoporosis . Thus , control patients received the same amount of attention and care as the intervention patients . After the main study was completed , all control patients were crossed over to the osteoporosis intervention , and all intervention patients were provided with counseling regarding fall prevention and home safety . Outcomes and Measurements The primary study outcome was Summary We have design ed an innovative r and omized controlled trial for improving adherence with osteoporosis medications . Recruitment and r and omization have been successful . Also , the counseling intervention has been well accepted by subjects r and omized to this treatment arm . Introduction While many effective treatments exist for osteoporosis , most people do not adhere to such treatments long term . No proven interventions exist to improve osteoporosis medication adherence . We report here on the design and initial enrollment in an innovative r and omized controlled trial aim ed at improving adherence to osteoporosis treatments . Methods The trial represents a collaboration between academic research ers and a state-run pharmacy benefits program for low-income older adults . Beneficiaries beginning treatment with a medication for osteoporosis are targeted for recruitment . We r and omize consenting individuals to receive 12 months of mailed education ( control arm ) or an intervention consisting of one-on-one telephone-based counseling and the mailed education . Motivational interviewing forms the basis for the counseling program which is delivered by seven trained and supervised health counselors over ten telephone calls . The counseling sessions include scripted dialog and open-ended questions about medication adherence and its barriers , as well as structured questions . The primary end point of the trial is medication adherence measured over the 12-month intervention period . Secondary end points include fractures , nursing home admissions , health care re source utilization , and mortality . Results During the first 7 months of recruitment , we have screened 3,638 potentially eligible subjects . After an initial mailing , 1,115 ( 30.6 % ) opted out of telephone recruitment and 1,019 ( 28.0 % ) could not be successfully contacted . Of the remaining , 879 ( 24.2 % ) consented to participate and were r and omized . Women comprise over 90 % of all groups ; mean ages range from 77 to 80 years old , and the majority in all groups was white . The distribution of osteoporosis medications was comparable across groups and the median number of different prescription drugs used in the prior year was eight to ten . Conclusions We have developed a novel intervention for improving osteoporosis medication adherence . The intervention is currently being tested in a large-scale r and omized controlled trial . If successful , the intervention may represent a useful model for improving adherence to other chronic treatments Osteoporosis is a major public health issue leading to significant morbidity , loss of independence and excess loss of life . It has been estimated that 13 to 17 million postmenopausal women have low bone mass or osteoporosis ( 1 , 2 ) . This is associated with almost 1.5 million fractures annually , including 300,000 hip fractures ( 2 , 3 ) . A review of the evidence by Cumming in 1990 ( 4 ) and subsequently published r and omized clinical trials have shown that calcium and /or vitamin D supplements may play a role in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis by slowing the rates of bone loss in postmenopausal and elderly women ( 5–9 ) . However , there are a limited number of calcium and /or vitamin D trials ( 10–13 ) and observational studies [ review of evidence by Cumming and Nevitt ( 14 ) and Kanis ( 15 ) ] , to support a role for calcium and vitamin D supplementation in the reduction of hip and other fractures . It has also been suggested that calcium and vitamin D supplementation may play a role in the reduction of colorectal cancer incidence ( 16–21 ) . To address these major health concerns of postmenopausal women , the Calcium-Vitamin D ( CaD ) trial of the Women ’s Health Initiative ( WHI ) was design ed to test the primary hypothesis that women who are r and omized to receive calcium and vitamin D supplementation will have a lower risk of hip fracture and secondarily , a lower risk of all fractures and colorectal cancer than women receiving corresponding placebo . The objective of this paper is AIMS The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a  nurse-initiated education programme  on four specific osteoporosis-prevention related behaviours leads to their adoption or positive attitude changes compared with women who did not participate in this programme . RESEARCH METHOD The design was a r and omized controlled design and the setting was a local private beauty clinic . OUTCOME MEASURES Pre- , post- and follow-up education data compared attitudes and consumption frequency before and after the education programme . RESULTS The results showed significant increases in the reported follow-up for each behaviour : consumption of soya foods ( mean = 4.3 , SD = 0.5 ) , milk ( mean = 4.2 , SD = 0.8 ) , more exercise ( mean = 4.3 , SD = 0.5 ) and vitamin D/exposure to sunlight ( mean = 4.2 , SD = 0.9 ) for subjects in the case group compared with control group subjects ( soya foods : mean = 3.3 , SD = 0.9 , P < 0.001 ; milk : mean = 3.0 , SD = 0.9 , P < 0.001 ; more exercise : mean = 3.4 , SD = 1.0 , P = 0.003 ; vitamin D/sunlight : mean = 2.7 , SD = 0.9 , P < 0.00 ) . Most of the participants either disagreed ( n = 11 , 55.0 % ) or strongly disagreed ( n = 9 , 45.0 % ) that there was not enough information provided in the education programme to motivate them to change . On the satisfaction score , they rated the nurse 's performance as either satisfactory ( n = 11 , 55.0 % ) or very satisfactory ( n = 9 , 45.0 % ) on presentation and ability to answer their questions and either satisfactory ( n = 12 , 60.0 % ) or very satisfactory ( n = 8 , 40.0 % ) on ability to describe each behaviour clearly . CONCLUSION A targeted education programme conducted with Hong Kong women result ed in significantly increased consumption of calcium including soya-based foods , milk and vitamin D. According to the reported attitudinal and behavioural intentions , participants ' positive feedback suggests that women who participated in this educational programme were motivated to make changes and benefited from the support of this nurse-initiated education programme . RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Osteoporosis was a serious health concern that most commonly affected women . As indicated by the results of this study , this educational programme can act as simple but effective nursing intervention to promote women 's attitudinal and behavioural intentions towards osteoporosis-prevention
Conclusions This review indicates that it is still unclear whether patient education is beneficial and whether it has a significant and clinical ly relevant impact on osteoporosis management results .
Summary This review summarizes evidence regarding the effects of patient education in osteoporosis prevention and treatment .
Method ological improvem ent of future RCTs ( e.g. with regard to r and omization and duration of follow-up ) might yield more conclusive evidence on the effects of patient education in osteoporosis Introduction This review aims to evaluate the effects of patient education on osteoporosis prevention and treatment results .