Grant: Operating Grant

Persons who have had a fragility fracture, that is a fracture that is caused by a force like a slip on ice that should not break normal strength bone, are rarely aware that they could have weaker bone and therefore do not do anything to prevent it from happening again. Action is important because a fragility fracture at least doubles the risk of another fracture. This risk can be reduced if treated. We have designed a workbook about fractures and about bone health to help improve patients' recognition of the possibility that they have a bone health issue that contributed to their fracture. It includes information, but also helps people sort through conflict they might feel about whether or not they have an issue with their bone health. Patients tell us that this recognition is critical to them and their going to their doctor to talk about testing and care. We would like to evaluate this workbook in a clinical trial comparing it to the usual pamphlets that patients receive and that we know only lead to about 5% of the people improving their recognition of bone health issues. Before doing the full trial, we need more information on how much of an impact we might see, and the feasibility of the trial (how many people will agree, how many peole can we reach at follow up). We are proposing a pilot study across 12 hospitals in Ontario that are part of a large screening program for people with fragility fractures. We are also proposing focus groups to be held in Quebec to aid in the adaptation of this tool in different provinces. This will provide us with the information we will need to conduct a full scale trial of this booklet to improve patient engagement in their health issues, and empower them to take action and discuss their risk and treatment options with their physicians.