IOF is very honoured to announce the integration of 105 UK Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) on the Capture the Fracture^® Map of Best Practice. 

The Map, which now displays a total of 130 FLS from the UK and 559 FLS worldwide, gives visibility and recognition to FLS in all regions of the world. This important milestone in the programme’s development results from a collaborative agreement with the UK’s Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS), a pioneer and respected advocate of post-fracture care coordination program implementation. 

Professor Cyrus Cooper, President of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) stated:

“On behalf of IOF and the Capture the Fracture® programme, I would like to convey my great appreciation to the Royal Osteoporosis Society for its valued collaboration. The inclusion of Fracture Liaison Services from the UK has strengthened Capture the Fracture’s role as a truly global platform for post-fracture care coordination programme recognition, sustainability and development, and underlines the fruitful partnership between IOF and the ROS.”

To mark this occasion, we’re delighted to share an insightful interview with Craig Jones, CEO of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, who shares important advice regarding the development and implementation of FLS: 

What is the ROS’ FLS programme and why is FLS implementation important?

Although massive progress has been made in the assessment and treatment of osteoporosis over the last 30 years, it is clear that there is still a substantial treatment gap in osteoporosis. This means that a variable majority of patients globally who are at high risk of osteoporotic fracture or who have sustained an osteoporotic fracture already, do not receive fracture risk assessment and antiosteoporosis treatment, which are critically needed to prevent potentially devastating further osteoporotic fractures. 

Fracture liaison services (FLS) are a key component of our work to tackle the treatment gap through identifying usually older individuals who have sustained an osteoporotic fracture, and ensuring that they do receive appropriate fracture risk assessment and antiosteoporosis treatment to reduce their risk of a future fracture event. The ROS has supported the development of 34 new FLSs in the UK over the last five years.

What advice would you give to other national societies that are trying to advocate for global FLS prioritisation, development, improvement and sustainability?

Key considerations in the success of the ROS FLS programme have been 1) establishing the appropriate multidisciplinary team, with expertise across NHS policy and implementation of service improvement, expertise in health-economics and business case planning, in addition to expert contributions from specialist nursing and medical practitioners; 2) building on a background of trust and collaboration between the charity and the NHS, established over decades of work; 3) the ability to tailor our advice on activities and implementation to individual circumstances, with key local individuals identified as the drivers of change.

What advice would you give to healthcare professionals looking to implement their own FLS? 

The approach to implementing an FLS depends critically upon the local healthcare policy and infrastructure. Importantly, one size definitely does not fit all, as healthcare systems are so heterogeneous across the world. It is vital to understand the way the local healthcare system works and competing priorities for health spending. The benefit versus cost of an FLS must be demonstrated, and in the UK we have underpinned such discussions with a benefits calculator, pioneered by the ROS. It has proved to be a significant tool in the successful implementation of a number of FLSs in the UK. Support is available on the ROS website, where you will find material to support FLS development and implementation. It is vital to ensure HCPs have the knowledge and skills required to deliver these services, and this is why the ROS also has a wide range of training resources for Healthcare Professionals to increase and maintain professional development.

What are your thoughts on the Capture the Fracture® programme and its mission to facilitate the implementation of FLS worldwide?

As a UK charity, but with an acute awareness of the global backdrop, we are hugely concerned with the massive treatment gap in terms of both primary and secondary fracture prevention worldwide. The IOF Capture the Fracture programme is a fantastic international initiative, which brings together FLS work across the globe to disseminate good practice, such as that in UK, to drive up standards in FLS, and ultimately to ensure that every patient who sustains a fragility fracture receives the appropriate fracture risk assessment and antiosteoporosis treatment, wherever they happen to live in the world.

What are the benefits that you expect to come out of this collaboration?

The integration of these 105 UK FLS into the Capture the Fracture programme is just the latest component of a long-standing successful collaboration between the UK Royal Osteoporosis Society and the International Osteoporosis Foundation. The benefits to the IOF of the national implementation and support provided by the ROS, as a national society, are clear, as is the benefit to the ROS that comes from integration into the global network of like-minded societies all striving to achieve a world without fragility fractures.

IOF CEO Dr Philippe Halbout added:

“It has been a great pleasure to work closely with Craig Jones on this initiative and I would like to extend my personal thanks to him and to ROS as a whole for their much-valued support of Capture the Fracture’s global mission. The mutually beneficial collaboration between IOF and ROS on this and many other important projects will serve to enhance the work of our respective organizations now and in the future.”