A micro-costing analysis of post-fracture care pathways: results from the International Costs and Utilities Related to Osteoporotic Fractures Study (ICUROS).

This study identified the costs and health-related quality of life impacts of several post-fracture multidisciplinary care pathways specific to individual skeletal site (hip, distal forearm, vertebrae, humerus). These care pathways may assist healthcare providers in allocating resources for osteoporotic fractures in more effective and cost-efficient ways. INTRODUCTION: This micro-costing study was undertaken to provide the estimated healthcare costs of several fracture site-specific health service use pathways associated with different trajectories of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) 12-months post-fracture. METHODS: The study included 4126 adults aged ≥ 50 years with a fragility fracture (1657 hip, 681 vertebrae, 1354 distal forearm, 434 humerus) from the International Costs & Utilities Related to Osteoporotic fractures Study (ICUROS). ICUROS participants were asked to recall the frequency and duration (where applicable) of their health and community care service use at 4- and 12-month follow-up visits. Patient-level costs were identified and aggregated to determine the average cost of healthcare use related to the fracture in each care pathway (presented in Australian 2021 dollars). Mean cost differences were calculated and analysed using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc Bonferroni correction to determine any statistically significant differences. RESULTS: The total direct cost of fractures was estimated at $89564, $38926, $18333, and $38461AUD per patient for hip, vertebral, wrist, and humeral participants, respectively. A Kruskal-Wallis test yielded a statistically significant difference in cost values between most care pathways (p < 0.001). Of the 20 care pathways, those associated with recovery of HRQoL had lower mean costs per patient across each fracture site. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified the costs and HRQoL impacts of several multidisciplinary care pathways for individual fracture sites based on the health service utilization of an international cohort of older adults. These care pathways may assist healthcare providers in allocating resources for fragility fractures in more effective and cost-efficient ways.

Sex differences in recovery of quality of life 12 months post-fracture in community-dwelling older adults: analyses of the Australian arm of the International Costs and Utilities Related to Osteoporotic Fractures Study (AusICUROS).

In this study of 695 Australian older adults (aged ≥50 years), we found that men and women had a similar trajectory of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) recovery following fragility fracture at any skeletal site. These results provide us with critical knowledge that improves our understanding of health outcomes post-fracture. INTRODUCTION: Mortality is higher in men than that in women following a fragility fracture, but it is unclear whether recovery of patient-reported outcomes such as health-related quality of life (HRQoL) differs between sexes. This study aimed to identify sex differences in HRQoL recovery 12 months post-fracture. METHODS: Data were from the Australian arm of the International Costs and Utilities Related to Osteoporotic Fractures Study (AusICUROS). Participants recruited to AusICUROS were adults aged ≥50 years who sustained a fragility fracture. HRQoL was measured using the EQ-5D-3L at three time-points post-fracture: within 2 weeks (including pre-fracture recall) and at 4 and 12 months. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were undertaken, adjusting for confounders including age, education, income, and healthcare utilization post-fracture. RESULTS: Overall, 695 AusICUROS participants (536 women, 77.1%) were eligible for analysis with fractures at the hip (n = 150), distal forearm (n = 261), vertebrae (n = 61), humerus (n = 52), and other skeletal sites (n = 171). At the time of fracture, men were younger, reported a higher income, and were more likely to be employed, compared with women. For all fracture sites combined, there were no differences between men and women in recovery to pre-fracture HRQoL at 12-month follow-up (adjusted OR = 1.09; 95% CI: 0.75-1.61). When stratified by fracture site, no significant sex differences were seen for hip (OR = 1.02; 95% CI: 0.42-2.52), distal forearm (OR = 1.60; 95% CI: 0.68-3.78), vertebral (OR = 2.28; 95% CI: 0.61-8.48), humeral (OR = 1.62; 95% CI: 0.16-9.99), and other fractures (OR = 1.00; 95% CI: 0.44-2.26). CONCLUSION: Community-dwelling men and women who survived the 12 months following fragility fracture had a similar trajectory of HRQoL recovery at any skeletal site.

Prediction models and questionnaires developed to predict vitamin D status in adults: a systematic review.

A systematic review of prediction models/questionnaires developed to identify people with deficient/insufficient vitamin D status shows the potential of self-reported information to estimate vitamin D status. The objective is to identify and compare existing screening tools, developed to identify vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency in adults. A systematic search of literature was conducted using MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science and CINAHL databases. Risk of bias and applicability concerns were assessed by quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies (QUADAS-2). Data were extracted on socio-demographic, anthropometric, risk factors, serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels, statistical methods and predictive ability. A total of 12 studies were considered for inclusion for this systematic review after screening of 4851 abstracts and 15 full-text articles. Ten of twelve studies developed prediction models and 2 studies developed questionnaires. The majority of studies had low risk of bias and applicability as assessed by QUADAS-2. All studies included only self-reported predictors of vitamin D status in their final models and development of scores. Sunlight exposure and related factors were important significant contributors to the predictive ability of the models and/or questionnaires. Sensitivity and specificity of the prediction models or questionnaires ranged from 55 to 91% and 35 to 84%, respectively. Six out of twelve studies converted final models to scores associated with vitamin D status. There was no evidence that any of these existing tools have been translated into clinical practice. The prediction models or questionnaires identified in this systematic review were moderately sensitive and specific for identifying people with vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency. The substantial contribution of sunlight exposure to the prediction of vitamin D status highlights the importance of including this information when developing vitamin D screening tools.