A UAB research project will use video and Web technology to improve osteoporosis evaluation and treatment in older women who have had a fracture. Only about one in five older women who have had a fracture receive appropriate osteoporosis medications, even though national guidelines recommend prescription medications for this population.
“The low use of appropriate osteoporosis medications among women with a prior fracture highlights the difficulty in translating evidence into practice,” said Ken Saag, M.D., professor in the Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology and principal investigator for the trial.
The Activating Patients to Reduce Osteoporosis study is a $3.38 million, five-year study funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. It will use video and Web technologies to produce direct-to-patient interventions, designed to provide personalized feedback regarding a patient’s risk of subsequent fractures and customized information regarding osteoporosis care. The study’s investigators also hope to encourage patients to be proactive in improving doctor-patient communication.
The study will employ storytelling delivered via the Internet and DVDs. The content will be uniquely tailored to each person based on their self-reported barriers to care, fracture risk and race/ethnicity.