A large scale campaign to improve patient care for people affected by osteoporosis has reached over 1,100 healthcare professionals across Scotland.
The unique partnership – The Osteoporosis Guideline Initiative (OGI) – was formed to raise awareness of best practice in the management of Osteoporosis and to encourage change in practice, where variation exists, to improve patient care across Scotland.
A large scale campaign to improve patient care for people affected by osteoporosis has reached over 1,100 healthcare professionals across Scotland.
The unique partnership – The Osteoporosis Guideline Initiative (OGI) – was formed to raise awareness of best practice in the management of Osteoporosis and to encourage change in practice, where variation exists, to improve patient care across Scotland.
As the first of its kind in Scotland, the partnership comprises of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), the National Osteoporosis Society and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Scotland.
Launched in October 2004, OGI began with a one day clinical conference aimed at meeting the needs of health professionals interested in improving the management of osteoporosis at all levels within NHSScotland. Attended by nearly 200 delegates from across Scotland the conference highlighted the SIGN guideline highlighting best practice in the management of osteoporosis.
Speaking about the launch of OGI, the then Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care, Rhona Brankin, said, “I welcome this initiative to help raise awareness of the SIGN guidelines on management of osteoporosis. By working together, the NHS, the pharmaceutical industry and the voluntary sector will help to improve equity of access to treatment for osteoporosis as well as ensuring that all treatment and care is based on the best available evidence.
This was followed by a series of twelve workshops, one in every mainland health board area which explored the practicalities of implementing the new SIGN 71 guideline locally. The workshops also sought to build on existing local initiatives, whilst sharing the experience of other regions tackling similar issues.
The workshops identified key issues and explored options to improve the service for people with osteoporosis as well as improving preventative measures. Among the key outcomes of the campaign were:
In Lothian, Ms Jackie Sansbury, Director of Healthcare Planning for NHS Lothian, announced significant additional investment to establish a fracture liaison service at the Royal Infirmary and to purchase a new DEXA scanner to establish an open access service for primary care.
In the Highlands, Lorna Young, Inverness NOS Support Group presented Dr Malcolm Steven with a cheque for £1,200 to purchase software to enable the measurement of bone density in children and in Grampian, delegates heard how their service had improved from a year ago when the waiting time was over four years but now for urgent cases in now less than two weeks and less than four months for routine appointments.
It is estimated that over 3 million people in the UK suffer from osteoporosis, a disease which causes fragile bones that break more easily. One in two women and one in 5 men over the age of 50 will suffer a fracture due to osteoporosis but it can affect people of all ages. While bone loss is universal with ageing, sufficient loss resulting in osteoporosis is not an inevitable part of ageing. Osteoporosis is itself clinically silent and doesn’t cause pain until it results in broken bones. Greater awareness, in particular, of the potential for a fracture to signify the presence of underlying osteoporosis should lead to earlier treatment and greater success in reducing the burden of osteoporotic fractures.
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Elizabeth Steel at Budge PR on Tel: 01698 540111
Anne Simpson, NOS Office in Scotland, on Tel: 01698 811 171
Louise Berend at ABPI on Tel: 0131 247 3688
Notes to Editors:
Osteoporosis in Scotland website
SOIG has worked in partnership with SIGN and NOS to develop a linked gateway website www.osteoporosisinscotland,org dedicated to providing practical information and assistance for healthcare professionals and patients to further enhance current awareness and provide valuable support for the implementation of SIGN Osteoporosis Guideline.
SIGN
The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network was established in 1993 to improve the effectiveness of clinical care for patients in Scotland. SIGN does this by developing, publishing and disseminating evidence based guidelines for NHS Scotland. SIGN guidelines identify and promote good clinical practice and, when implemented locally, help to address variations in clinical practice across Scotland. SIGN was established by the Medical Royal Colleges and includes representatives from all the medical specialties; dentistry; nursing; allied health professions; pharmacy; health service managers; social workers and patients. SIGN maintains a comprehensive and user-friendly website. All the guidelines can be easily located and downloaded from www.sign.ac.uk
NOS
The National Osteoporosis Society is the only UK charity dedicated to improving the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. It offers support to people with osteoporosis and their families through a range of information booklets and a telephone helpline – 0845 450 0230. It has a large network of local support groups across the United Kingdom and works with healthcare professionals to facilitate greater understanding of the needs of people with osteoporosis. The NOS also encourages national governments and local health boards to resource and deliver appropriate services to prevent, diagnose and treat the broken bones due to osteoporosis. For more information visit www.nos.org.uk
National Osteoporosis Society Awareness month is in June. For further information or case studies, please contact Pauline Davey, Communications Office at NOS on 01761 471 771.
ABPI - SOIG
The Scottish Osteoporosis Industry Group (SOIG) was set up in April 2003 under the auspices of the Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), Scotland, to actively promote improved diagnosis and management of osteoporosis through the implementation of SIGN 71: Management of Osteoporosis. The principal aim of SOIG is to work with other interested parties especially the members of the Osteoporosis Guideline Initiative to help improve the quality of care given to people with this condition. SOIG works with all relevant local agencies to ensure people with osteoporosis have equitable access to diagnostic facilities and the best available treatments, services and medicines for their condition. SOIG also assists the Osteoporosis Guideline Initiative Steering Group in raising the profile and awareness of osteoporosis among all key opinion leaders and policy makers.
