亞太地區骨折聯合照護服務現況及未來

Osteoporosis is characterized by a reduction in bone mass with a subsequent loss in strength that increases bone fragility and raises the risk of fracture, and is associated with high morbidity and increased mortality. During the next few decades, osteoporotic fractures are predicted to increase dramatically in the Asia-Pacific region. By 2050, it is projected that up to half of all hip fractures will occur in Asia. Moreover, the costs and disability associated with osteoporosis-related fractures are high and expected to dramatically increase in Asia. Fracture liaison services (FLS) interventions led to substantial increases in rates of bone mineral density testing and osteoporosis treatment, improved therapy adherence, and resulted in significant reduction in re-fracture and mortality rates. Therefore, the International Osteoporosis Foundation recommends the establishment of FLS to properly identify and treat fracture patients since 2012. However, there is still significant care gap for fragility fractures even with rapid growing of FLSs in the AP region. After careful review and through discussion, experts agreed that the 13 best practice framework����BPF����standards are generally applicable in the AP region with only minor modifications. More clinical experiences and more data are needed to provide feedback for ongoing improvement on BPF standards and to benchmark the best FLSs in the future.