However, an accurate fracture risk assessment may be difficult for a reading specialist to produce as it depends on information beyond BMD T-score, such as fracture history. Such clinical information may be difficult for a specialist to access and is therefore subject to omission on reports [9, 10]. The primary objective of this study is to examine the accuracy of fracture risk assessments on BMD reports from a wide range of imaging laboratories for individuals with a history of fragility
fracture in non-urban areas in PI3K Inhibitor Library manufacturer the province of Ontario, Canada. The BMD reports studied were gathered as part of a cluster randomized trial in 2008. As a result, assessment accuracy is defined as concordance between the fracture risk stated on the BMD report and assessments produced by our research team using
(1) knowledge of fracture history and (2) the assessment methodology sanctioned by CAR in 2005 [11] and current as of 2008. It should be noted, however, that Osteoporosis Canada has since recommended significant methodological changes for fracture risk assessment in their 2011 Guidelines GPCR Compound Library [8]. Secondary objectives were to determine if the reports followed the 2005 CAR standard for diagnostic categorization and were in the recommended report format. Methods Study design The BMD reports examined in this study were collected as part of a cluster randomized trial evaluating the effect of a centralized coordinator who identifies and follows up with fracture patients treated in small non-urban
community hospitals and their primary care physicians about osteoporosis care, including referral for BMD testing and pharmacologic treatment [12]. Setting and participants Hospitals without a dedicated fracture clinic and that treated more than 60 fracture patients per year in their emergency department (ED) were eligible (n = 54) for the trial. Ethical approval was obtained from the Research Ethics Board of the Toronto Rehabilitation N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate transferase Institute and each of the participating sites. Emergency department records provided through the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System database at each hospital were used to identify all new cases of fracture. Records were selected for individuals over 40 years of age who sustained fractures at the hip, forearm, wrist, rib(s), sternum, thoracic and lumbar spine, shoulder and upper arm, pelvis, lower leg, and ankle. Patients with “cause of injury” codes indicating that the fracture was not due to major trauma (e.g., traffic accidents), who were residing in a nursing home, or with fractures that occurred more than 3 months between the time of their initial ED visit and preparation of the list for the centralized coordinator were excluded.