Swedish osteoporosis care

Abstract

The objective of this study was to review and describe the current state of Swedish osteoporosis care and to highlight ongoing challenges. This report encompasses quantitative health outcomes based on Swedish registry data as well as organizational and management aspects. Swedish osteoporosis care is characterized by a significant burden of disease, difficulties in identifying high-risk patients, and fragmented pathways for patients in need of secondary fracture prevention. This report aimed to describe the current state, gaps, and challenges in Swedish osteoporosis care, using Swedish national databases, questionnaires, and interviews with healthcare representatives. A secondary aim was to develop quality and process measures to compare differences between counties and to use those measures to describe the interaction between quantitative health outcomes and aspects of care organization and management. In conjunction with fractures, a considerably smaller proportion of men are treated than women, and a smaller proportion of older women are treated compared to younger groups. Between 3 and 16 % of patients receive treatment after a fracture, and the treatment rate in this patient group can likely increase. In addition to an unsatisfactory treatment rate, a limited number of those treated continue treatment throughout the recommended treatment durations, leading to increased risk of fracture. With a substantial variation between counties, there is a clear difficulty to identify non-persistent patients and switch to an alternative treatment. Collaboration around the patient across specialties has been lacking, and systems for secondary prevention have been concentrated to a few counties. However, when this study was conducted, there was a general trend towards implementing regional care programs. This report suggests possible strategies for improving quality of care and, hopefully, it can provide a basis for future evaluations and regional improvement of osteoporosis care in Sweden and other countries.