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Pharmacist-provided quantitative heel ultrasound screening for rural women at risk of osteoporosis
Citation
Naunton, M and Peterson, GM and Jones, G, Pharmacist-provided quantitative heel ultrasound screening for rural women at risk of osteoporosis, The Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 40, (1) pp. 38-44. ISSN 1060-0280 (2006) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2006 Harvey Whitney Books Company. Unless otherwise noted, Harvey Whitney Books Company holds the copyright on all materials published in the Journal, whether in print or electronic form, both as a compilation and as individual articles. All Journal content is subject to "fair use" provisions of U.S. or applicable international copyright laws. [http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html]
Official URL: http://www.theannals.com/cgi/content/abstract/40/1...
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is underdiagnosed, and rural communities often have limited technical resources for the assessment of osteoporosis. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of a pharmacist, trained in the use of a portable heel ultrasound device, in screening elderly rural women for risk of osteoporosis and determine whether those found to be at risk seek further help and treatment from their general practitioner (GP) following screening. METHODS: Following promotion of the service, 345 women were recruited from 6 rural community pharmacies in Tasmania, Australia, and underwent quantitative heel ultrasound screening. Women were comprehensively educated on risk factors for osteoporosis and completed a calcium intake questionnaire. Results were forwarded to each woman's GP, and the participants were followed up 3 months later to assess outcomes from the screening procedure. RESULTS: Approximately 20% of women were shown to be at high risk for osteoporosis; 201 (58%) of these were referred to their GP for further assessment. Sixty-eight percent of women who were screened discussed their results with their GP, and 11% underwent further investigation. Over one-third of women screened began medication (30% calcium, 6% bisphosphonate, 6% vitamin D) for osteoporosis. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacist-provided screening for osteoporosis in rural areas is a potentially useful method to identify women at risk for fracture and a convenient time point for discussion of preventive therapy.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Research Division: | Biomedical and Clinical Sciences |
| Research Group: | Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences |
| Research Field: | Pharmaceutical sciences |
| Objective Division: | Health |
| Objective Group: | Other health |
| Objective Field: | Other health not elsewhere classified |
| UTAS Author: | Peterson, GM (Professor Gregory Peterson) |
| UTAS Author: | Jones, G (Professor Graeme Jones) |
| ID Code: | 40206 |
| Year Published: | 2006 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 12 |
| Deposited By: | Pharmacy |
| Deposited On: | 2006-08-01 |
| Last Modified: | 2011-05-13 |
| Downloads: | 1 View Download Statistics |
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