Comparison of prescribing and adherence patterns of anti-osteoporotic medications post-admission for fragility type frac

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Comparison of prescribing and adherence patterns of anti-osteoporotic medications post-admission for fragility type fracture in an urban teaching hospital and a rural teaching hospital in Ireland between 2005 and 2008 B. McGowan • K. Bennett • M. C. Casey J. Doherty • C. Silke • B. Whelan



Received: 18 December 2012 / Accepted: 28 February 2013 Ó Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland 2013

Abstract Introduction Poor adherence reduces the potential benefits of osteoporosis therapy, lowering gains in bone mineral density resulting in increased risk of fractures. Aim To compare prescribing and adherence patterns of anti-osteoporotic medications in patients admitted to an urban teaching hospital in Ireland with a fragility type fracture to patients admitted to a rural hospital in the North Western region. Methodology We identified all patients [55 years admitted to Sligo General Hospital between 2005 and 2008 with a fragility fracture (N = 744) using the hospital inpatient enquiry system (HIPE). The medical card number of those patients eligible for the primary care reimbursement services scheme (PCRS) facilitated the linkage of the HSE-PCRS scheme database to the HIPE database which enabled a study to identify persistence rates of patients prescribed osteoporosis therapy after discharge. The results were compared to the findings of a similar study carried out in St. James’s Hospital, Dublin.

B. McGowan (&)  C. Silke  B. Whelan The North Western Rheumatology Unit, Our Lady’s Hospital, Manorhamilton, Co Leitrim, Ireland e-mail: [email protected] K. Bennett Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St. James’s Hospital, Dublin, Ireland M. C. Casey Osteoporosis and Bone Health Clinic, Medicine for the Elderly, St. James’s Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland J. Doherty Osteoporosis and Bone Health Clinic, Medicine for the Elderly, Sligo Regional Hospital, Sligo, Ireland

Results The 12 months post-fracture prescribing increased from 11.0 % (95 % CI 9.6, 12.4) in 2005 to 47 % (95 % CI 43.6, 50.3) in 2008 in the urban setting and from 25 % (95 % CI 21.5, 28.9) to 39 % (95 % CI 34.5, 42.7) in the rural setting. Adherence levels to osteoporosis medications at 12 months post-initiation of therapy was \50 % in both study groups. Patients on less frequent dosing regimes were better adherers. Conclusion The proportion of patients being discharged on anti-osteoporosis medications post-fragility fracture increased between 2005 and 2008 in both patient groups. Sub-optimal adherence levels to osteoporosis medications continue to be a major concern. Keywords Osteoporosis  Prescribing  Fragility fractures  Linkage  Datasets  Persistence

Introduction The management of osteoporosis has become a major health problem worldwide. At least one in three women over 50 years of age, and one in five men, will suffer an osteoporotic fracture in their remaining lifetime [1]. Fragility fractures which are a direct result of osteoporosis give rise to significant morbidity and mortality, resultin