EVALUATION OF MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH OSTEOPOROTIC FRACTURES BY ORTHOPEDIC RESIDENTS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Endocrinology
• Geriatrics

Background:

• Osteoporotic fractures (OF) represent a significant public health concern, necessitating effective secondary prevention strategies.
• Adequate management of osteoporosis (OP) is crucial to reduce the risk of recurrent fractures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the progression of knowledge and management skills regarding osteoporotic fractures and osteoporosis treatment among orthopedic residents (R1, R2, R3).
• To determine if residents' ability to investigate, treat, and refer patients for OP treatment improves with their year of residency.

Main Methods:

• Residents were presented with a clinical case of osteoporotic fracture and answered diagnostic and therapeutic questions in four different clinical settings.
• Responses were collected at initial emergency room care, discharge, and 3- and 6-month outpatient follow-ups.
• Data were analyzed to compare knowledge and management practices across different residency years (R1, R2, R3).

Main Results:

• While referral rates for OP treatment increased with residency year (75% R1, 90.5% R2, 68% R3), overall management requires improvement.
• Significant improvement was observed in prescribing appropriate laboratory tests for OP (p = 0.028), with 52.6% of R3 residents ordering correct tests.
• Deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis prescription was mastered by R3 residents (100%, p = 0.001).

Conclusions:

• Orthopedic residents demonstrate a learning curve in managing osteoporotic fractures and initiating osteoporosis treatment.
• Current educational strategies are insufficient for comprehensive secondary fracture prevention, indicating a need for enhanced curriculum development.