Fragility fractures impose a substantial burden on patients and on society as a whole. They are associated with heightened risks of mortality and morbidity and result in substantial costs for both acute and long-term care [1-3]. Although very effective osteoporosis treatments are available, the rates of use are low, even among individuals who have already experienced a fracture and are thus at very high risk for a subsequent fracture [4]. Numerous evidence implementation and quality improvement efforts have been made to address this care gap, with mixed results. In the UK, fracture liaison services linked to discharge planning were found to be both effective and cost saving to the health system [5, 6]. Other approaches have been tried with more limited success [7, 8].
Patients who are in need of nursing care or rehabilitation services after discharge from inpatient care commonly receive home health services. Becker et al., found that 45.7% of Medicare beneficiaries who experienced a hip fracture received subsequent home health care, with the proportions ranging from 20-47% for other fracture sites [9]. A study by Curtis et al. found that rates of prescription osteoporosis treatment were low (8%) for patients with a fracture history who were receiving home health care, signifying that the home health setting is a promising venue for intervention [10].
To assess the utility of a home care based strategy for osteoporosis quality improvement, we developed a multimodal intervention to improve secondary or tertiary preventive care among patients with a recent fracture who were receiving home health services [11]. Our intervention targeted nurses and physicians involved in home health care and included in-service training for nurses, concise written osteoporosis educational materials and prepared order sets for physicians, and educational materials for patients. A pilot study was conducted to refine the intervention and preliminary results from that study were promising [11]. Here we report the results of the final group randomized trial conducted to evaluate this multi-modal intervention, delivered in the home health care setting, aimed at increasing osteoporosis treatment rates to prevent fractures.