Breaking the fracture cycle through effective and coordinated models of care

A prior fracture at least doubles a patient's future fracture risk – yet numerous studies from across the world have found that healthcare systems fail to respond to the first fracture to prevent future fractures. Professor Cyrus Cooper, chair of the Committee of Scientific Advisors of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and director of the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton in the UK stated, "Studies from the UK, USA and Australia have reported that 45% or more of today's hip fracture patients have a prior fracture history. Healthcare systems are evidently failing to respond to the first fracture – this is, tragically, a missed opportunity for intervention. Worldwide, millions of people go on to experience debilitating and life-threatening hip fractures, at great cost to the individual and to healthcare systems."