Osteoporosis management: physicians' recommendations and womens' compliance following osteoporosis testing

Physicians use several pharmaceutical agents (e.g., hormone replacement therapy [HRT], calcitonin, bisphosphonates, calcium, and vitamin D) to manage osteoporosis. However, relatively little research has examined how physicians employ these agents in osteoporosis management. Additionally, researchers have not examined compliance with these treatments following the measurement of bone mass. Using a mail survey, we examined physicians' recommendation of, and women's compliance with, osteoporosis treatment modalities (stratified by fracture risk at the femoral neck and age) following bone mass measurement. We found that physicians recommended non-HRT treatment more often than HRT treatment to women with an increased risk of fracture, and women's acceptance of recommended treatments was relatively high following the measurement of bone mass.