By 2025 some 500 million people will be living with osteoporosis, a chronic disease that weakens bones and leaves older adults at risk of a fragility fracture—a broken bone that typically occurs after a low-trauma fall. As a result, an estimated 13.5 million fragility fractures will occur worldwide1.
Up to 80% of older adults who have broken a bone are not being identified and treated with effective therapies, which not only greatly increases risk of a secondary fracture, but also adds pressure to already overburdened health-care systems around the globe. The solution? Post-fracture care programs2.
In response to this urgent global need, the International Osteoporosis Foundation is delighted to announce the launch of the Capture the Fracture® Partnership – Guidance for Policy Shaping, which sets out a step-by-step approach to building secondary fracture prevention policy. This new initiative fills an important gap in healthcare, one that can change the lives of older adults and their caregivers.
The new policy resource package was developed between IOF (International Osteoporosis Foundation), University of Oxford, Amgen, and UCB, as part of the partnership to make the case for fracture prevention and to show the clear public health and financial benefits of Post-Fracture Care (PFC) Coordination Programs, also known as Fracture Liaison Services.
Through CONNECT, we are excited to be part of such an impactful program focused on improving patient outcomes, saving health-care costs and saving lives.
“When one fragility fracture occurs, a patient is at imminent risk of sustaining subsequent fractures,” explains Professor Cyrus Cooper, IOF President and Professor of Musculoskeletal Science at the Universities of Oxford and Southampton, UK. “Nevertheless, only 20% of fragility fracture patients are currently offered screening or treatment for osteoporosis, the underlying disease. Given the immense and growing burden of fragility fractures, it is clear that health care strategies must be put in place to reduce this unacceptable care gap3.”
Together with related resources, the new Guidance will support the advocacy efforts of IOF member national societies and local key opinion leaders as they seek to drive policy change in their countries. The toolkit includes3:
- Capture the Fracture® (CTF) Partnership – Guidance for Policy Shaping: A general document built around four key blocks for the development of comprehensive healthcare policies, available in English and Spanish.
- Capture the Fracture® (CTF) Partnership – Guidance for Policy Shaping – Executive Summary: A one-page summary of the key building blocks policy change, available in 12 languages.
- Capture the Fracture® (CTF) Partnership – Slide kit on Guidance for Policy Shaping: Available in 12 languages.
- Infographic: A visual document that can be used to support policy change messaging.
All documents are available on a dedicated page of the Capture the Fracture® website.
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References:
- Hernlund E, Svedbom A, Ivergard M et al. (2013) Osteoporosis in the European Union: medical management, epidemiology and economic burden. A report prepared in collaboration with the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industry Associations (EFPIA). Arch Osteoporos 8:136. doi:10.1007/s11657-013-0136-1.
- Capture the Fracture® Guidance for Policy Shaping. International Osteoporosis Foundation website. Accessed Feb 1, 2021.
- New policy guidance highlights urgent global need for post-fracture care programs. Capture the Fracture. https://www.capturethefracture.org/news/new-policy-guidance-highlights-urgent-global-need-post-fracture-care-programs. Accessed February 1, 2021.
