Work

6451 Bone Health ECHO: Expanding Global Capacity To Deliver Best Practice Skeletal Healthcare

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Disclosure: E.M. Lewiecki: None. M.S. Rothman: None. M.F. Bouchonville: None. 1 Bone Health ECHO: Expanding Global Capacity to Deliver Best Practice Skeletal Healthcare E. M. Lewiecki MD,[1] M. S. Rothman MD,[2] M. F. Bouchonville II MD[1] [1]University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA[2]University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA Disclosure: E. M. Lewiecki: Amgen: investigator, consultant, speaker; Radius: investigator, consultant; Ultragenyx: investigator; Kyowa Kirin: consultant, speaker; Angitia: consultant; Ascendis: consultant. M. S. Rothman: nothing to disclose. M. F. Bouchonville II: nothing to disclose. Background: Osteoporosis is a major public health concern worldwide, with one-half of women and one-fifth of men over the age of 50 years having an osteoporotic fracture in their remaining lifetime. Osteoporotic fractures are associated with an increase in morbidity, mortality, and loss of independence. The economic costs of osteoporotic fractures are high and expected to rise along with population aging. Despite the availability of many medications proven to reduce fracture risk, most patients who could benefit from their use are not receiving them. Although fears and misperceptions about medications can exacerbate this treatment gap, an additional pitfall is a shortage of bone health specialists across the US, particularly in rural areas. Given how far many patients have to travel to see a bone health expert, innovative strategies are needed to improve access to care. Introduction: Bone Health ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a virtual community of practice consisting of a network of healthcare professionals who connect online, where all learn and all teach through discussion of patient cases and short didactic presentations. ECHO aims to improve health equity, allowing participants to provide better skeletal healthcare closer to home, at lower cost, with greater convenience than referral to an academic center. Methods: This is a progress report for the prototype Bone Health ECHO program at the University of New Mexico (UNM) Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque, NM, USA, and the development of similar programs worldwide, with data compiled by Project ECHO at UNM. Results: The UNM Bone Health ECHO program has been held weekly since 2015, with a progressive increase in average weekly attendance each year since then. A total of 17 Bone Health ECHO programs have been started, 9 in the United States and 8 in other countries. Each program functions independently while following the ECHO model of case-based learning. Conclusions: The experiences and lessons learned from current Bone Health ECHO programs provide a template for the development of additional programs, with the goal of reducing the burden of skeletal disorders worldwide. Presentation: 6/2/2024

Source: Journal of the Endocrine Society

DOI: 10.1210/jendso/bvae163.1034

Authors: E Michael Lewiecki, Micol Sara Rothman, Matthew Frederick Bouchonville

Institutions: New Mexico Clinical Research & Osteoporosis Center, University of New Mexico

Language: English

Topic: Bone health and osteoporosis research

Subfield: Orthopedics and Sports Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,418