Women with osteoporosis want to know their fracture risk

Most women with osteoporosis want to know their fracture risk, but only half have received this information from health care providers, according to a study published online Nov. 13 in Osteoporosis International.

Charlotte Beaudart, Ph.D., from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, and colleagues used data from the Risk Communication in Osteoporosis study to assess patients' preferences regarding fracture risk communication (332 women were included in the study).

The researchers found that although the participants considered it important to receive information about their fracture risk (mean importance of 6.2 on a 7-point Likert scale), only 56 percent had already received such information. Compared with a verbal or written presentation of risk, participants preferred a visual presentation with a traffic-light type of colored graph of their FRAX fracture risk probability. In addition to receiving fracture risk information in a printed or online format, almost all participants considered it important to discuss their fracture risk and the consequences of fractures with their health care professionals.

"There is a significant communication gap between health care professionals and patients when discussing osteoporosis fracture risk," the authors write. "Improved communication between at-risk patients and their health care professionals will undoubtedly heighten awareness of osteoporosis, the consequences of fractures, and the significance of fracture prevention, ultimately leading to an improved quality of life."

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry; one author is the founder of FRAX.

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