US healthcare system can't keep up with number of Baby Boomers' Bone Fractures

March 20, 2011--Many Baby Boomers will experience a bone fracture as they age, and the current US healthcare system is not prepared to provide the necessary care required, according to a special monograph released in the Geriatric Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation (GOS), published by SAGE.

The first members of the post World War II Baby Boom generation will reach 65 years old this year. The Baby Boomers encompass an estimated 78 million Americans and are expected to live longer and healthier than preceding generations, however, due to their advancing age, will likely experience fragility fractures (a fracture from a weak or osteoporotic bone).

The GOS Editors have addressed the challenge of caring for this specialized population, with the release of "A Guide to Improving the Care of Patients with Fragility Fractures."

Written as a guide for physicians, nurses, therapists, hospital administrators, and students, this monograph offers an evidence-based approach to better quality – but still cost-effective – care of patients dealing with fragility fractures.

The well-written, thoroughly-referenced and detailed Guide provides direction to improve both the system of care and on-site specific fracture management, detailing such subjects as:

The scope of the problem

Different types of fractures

Hospital admission and preoperative care

Surgery

Postoperative considerations

Non-surgical options

Rehabilitation and nutrition

Models of care throughout the US

"The scope of fragility fractures in the United States is large and will grow over the next 20 years as the population ages," write editors Stephen L. Kates, MD and Simon C. Mears, MD, PhD. "There is much that can be done to idealize the outcomes of these patients. Additional research is needed to further improve the quality of care. We plan to update this blue book as new information concerning the care of seniors with fragility fractures develops."

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"A Guide to Improving the Care of Patients With Fragility Fractures," in Geriatric Orthopaedic Surgery & Rehabilitation is available free for a limited time athttp://gos.sagepub.com/content/current.

Geriatric Orthopaedic Surgery & Rehabilitation (GOS) is a bimonthly resource providing peer-reviewed clinical information for orthopaedic surgeons and anesthesiologists, geriatricians, and other physicians. GOS publishes a broad range of musculoskeletal disorders in the aging patient through research reports and reviews, technical perspectives, case studies, and other evidence-based articles. http://gos.sagepub.com

SAGE is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology, and medicine. An independent company, SAGE has principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC. www.sagepublications.com