-Original-

Interest in Osteoporosis among Nurses and Physicians before Introduction of a Fracture Liaison Service: A Questionnaire-Based Study

Yasuyuki Kitagawa¹, Kazuma Miura¹, Yuki Katano², Daiki Saito², Daisuke Fukuhara¹, Naoto Kotani¹, Shoko Sasaki¹, Naoya Takabayashi², Yosuke Shinozuka¹ and Tokifumi Majima²

¹Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nippon Medical School Tama Nagayama Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
²Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan

Background: Osteoporosis-related fragility fractures such as proximal femoral and vertebral fractures are associated with decreased activities of daily living and a shorter life span. Many persons with osteoporosis do not receive testing or treatment. Introducing fracture liaison services (FLSs) to hospitals is an effective approach for reducing this treatment gap. Understanding interest in osteoporosis among nurses and physicians, their knowledge of osteoporosis, and their thoughts on team medicine for treatment of osteoporosis might be helpful when implementing FLSs.
Methods: An FLS had not been introduced at our hospital. We conducted a questionnaire survey of nurses and physicians at our hospital regarding their interest in osteoporosis, their knowledge of osteoporosis, and their thoughts on team medicine for osteoporosis.
Results: About half of the nurses and physicians were interested in osteoporosis. About 70% of nurses and physicians believed that team medicine was necessary for treating osteoporosis, and 50-60% believed that it should be introduced in the hospital. Only 5% of nurses and 18% of physicians had knowledge of FLSs.
Conclusion: Staff perceptions of team care for osteoporosis were generally supportive in our hospital. However, the introduction of an FLS to the hospital required educational activities for staff. The results of this survey will be helpful to other hospitals introducing FLSs.

J Nippon Med Sch 2025; 92: 29-36

Keywords
osteoporosis, team medicine, fracture liaison service, osteoporosis liaison service

Correspondence to
Yasuyuki Kitagawa, MD, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nippon Medical School Tama Nagayama Hospital, 1-7-1 Nagayama, Tama, Tokyo 206-8512, Japan
kitayasu@nms.ac.jp

Received, June 15, 2024
Accepted, September 30, 2024