The Singapore Family Physician

Back to issue Vol 44 No. 3 - Osteoporosis

Role of GP in Osteoporosis Management

Lau Tang Ching
The Singapore Family Physician Vol 44 No 3 - Osteoporosis
36 - 38
1 July 2018
0377-5305
Fragility fractures will affect one-third of women and one-fifth of men 50 years old and older worldwide.1 To prevent the inevitable rise in hip fracture occurrences, early patient identification is of paramount importance. Patients with timely osteoporosis diagnosis and appropriate management can remain fracture free. Fracture Liaison Services (FLSs) are care-coordinator-based secondary fracture prevention programmes that systematically identify fragility fracture patients, then assess, investigate and treat them for underlying osteoporosis as appropriate.2 They are promoted by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) as a cost-effective strategy for reducing the osteoporosis care gap, the refracture rate, and mortality.3,4 Identifying patients with high fracture risk using the WHO fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX), and discussing the treatment thresholds based on patient’s ideas, concerns, expectations and care goals, using a shared decision-making approach, is a patient-centric and cost-effective way to manage osteoporosis and prevent fractures.