The Fracture Liaison Service to close the osteoporosis care gap: a leadership educational model for undergraduate and postgraduate trainees.
Osteoporotic fractures have been rising and are a cause of severe morbidity and mortality. Care gaps exist in osteoporosis treatment and diagnosis, which presents an opportunity for education. A number of healthcare systems in the world have developed a fracture liaison service (FLS) to combat osteoporotic fractures. The Rheumatology division at Loma Linda University Health (LLUH) developed an FLS not only to address osteoporosis care gaps but to also develop a new educational model. An interdisciplinary model of osteoporosis care has been implemented along with a revamp of educational focus on osteoporosis and bone health in the rheumatology fellowship and internal medicine residency. Pre-LLUH FLS studies showed that 85% of patients pre-fracture were never screened nor treated for osteoporosis; post-fracture, only 10% of patients were treated, and only 6% had dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Notably, 30% had a prior fracture. We discuss how the FLS has served as a catalyst for education, not only at our academic center but also as an outreach for our community in order to elevate the care of osteoporosis in our community.Key Points• Care gaps exist in osteoporosis treatment and are addressed by the Fracture Liaison Service.• The Loma Linda University Health Fracture Liaison Service is an interdisciplinary program.• The Fracture Liaison Service is an educational model that gives hands on learning through an amalgam of processes, namely quality improvement through the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle and medical education through Kolb's learning cycle and cognitive apprenticeship.
['Yu|Micah|M|', 'Downey|Christina|C|http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8285-5701', 'Torralba|Karina D|KD|']
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents D003159:Community-Institutional Relations D003695:Delivery of Health Care D004501:Education, Medical D006801:Humans D007857:Leadership D017145:Models, Educational D010024:Osteoporosis D058866:Osteoporotic Fractures D058996:Quality Improvement D055502:Secondary Prevention
Fracture Liaison Service Fractures Osteoporosis Quality Improvement Medical Education Cognitive Apprenticeship Experiential Learning