Results of Patient Education about Osteoporosis after Fragility Fracture: Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes
The 3 primary outcome measures for this study were as follows:
• overall reduction of modifiable osteoporosis risk factors (inadequate calcium intake [supplements or dietary sources] and vitamin D supplementation, smoking, medications, and alcohol and caffeine consumption)
• proportion of patients whose OPQ score increased after the educational intervention
• proportion of patients who discussed osteoporosis with the physician 12 to 14 weeks after the fracture and who, as a result, started prescription therapy and/or were assessed with a BMD scan.
Secondary Outcome
The secondary outcome measure was the proportion of patients who underwent assessment for osteoporosis in hospital after their fragility fracture, defined as BMD scan ordered in hospital, prescription for antiresorptive medications given on discharge, or referral to the family physician for osteoporosis assessment.
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Data Analysis
All data collected were entered into an Excel spreadsheet and imported into a statistical program (SPSS version 11.0.1, SPSS Inc, Chicago, Illinois) for analysis. Descriptive statistics were generated for all variables, including frequency tables for dichotomous and categorical variables and means, standard deviations (SDs), standard errors, and ranges for continuous data.
Paired t tests were used to compare scores on the OPQ before and after the educational intervention. To analyze the number of patients who took measures to decrease modifiable risk factors for osteoporosis, patient proportions (percentages) were calculated for the presence of each outcome measure before and after intervention. Paired t tests were used to test the significance of the changes for continuous data such as calcium and caffeine intake. Chi-square tests were used to assess the significance of the change in proportions for dichotomous and categorical variables. Statistical significance was defined as a p value of 0.05 or less.
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The same approach was used to examine the number of patients who had consulted their family physician regarding osteoporosis by 12 to 14 weeks after fracture.
