Establishing a fracture liaison service: an orthopaedic approach

Abstract

➤ Bone health evaluations should be incorporated into care pathways for fragility fractures in all patients who are fifty years of age or older.➤ A fracture liaison service (FLS) is an established and proven method to achieve recommended standards of care for fragility fractures, including intervention for osteoporosis, secondary fracture prevention, and bone health evaluation.➤ The FLS facilitates patient care by automatically including all patients with a fragility fracture within a health-care system to provide them with the intervention that they need and to prevent avoidable fracture-related complications or readmissions.➤ An FLS functions with three key personnel: the FLS coordinator (usually an advanced practice provider), a physician champion (usually an orthopaedic surgeon), and a nurse navigator.