Randomized Fracture Liaison Services

Background: First fragility fracture increased risk for further fracture for 2-4 folds. However, most fracture sufferers did not receive secondary prevention for osteoporosis to decrease future fracture risks. Since 2014, the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) Healthcare system established fracture liaison services and were certified as gold (main hospital, MH) and silver (Beihu branch, BB) medal for best practices. Our preliminary results showed that compared with national average data, hip fracture patients under FLS may have lower mortality rate. However, randomized control trial (RCT) is still needed to confirm results from observational studies.

Aims: to compare clinical outcomes for patients under FLS and usual care at the NTUH MH and BB.

Method: Four hundred subjects with new hip fracture or newly identified vertebral fracture are randomly assigned into FLS and usual care (UC). FLS subjects received osteoporosis-related assessments, treatments, consultations on diet, medications, exercise, fall preventions given mainly by care managers with followed up telephone call at 4, 8, 12, 18, 24 months then annually for up to 10 years. Care managers will perform baseline assessments and follow them by telephone annually for up to 10 years for UC subjects. Major outcomes include bone mineral density assessment rate, calcium, vitamin D, and osteoporosis medication initiation and adherence rate, fall and fracture incidences, mortality, and healthcare resource utilizations.

Anticipated results: Provide evidence on benefit of FLS in RCT on osteoporosis evaluation, medication initiation, mediation adherence, calcium, vitamin D, protein, exercise adherence, fall, re-fracture, mortality and other outcomes.

Inclusion criteria

：

• Age>=50
• New hip fracture from orthopedic ward
• Newly identified vertebral fracture (either morphological or clinical)/ old hip fracture without osteoporosis treatment referred by team physicians either inpatients or outpatients
• Willing to accept 10 years of follow-ups.

Exclusion criteria

• Traumatic or pathologic fractures
• Atypical femoral shaft fracture
• Participating in other medication intervention trials
• Less than 2 years of life expectancy judged by team physicians
• Incapable of accepting evaluation for cognitive, communication, and physical problems judged by team physicians or coordinators.