Assessing the awareness of doctors of various specialties in the treatment of osteoporosis

Abstract

Objective: to assess the degree of doctors’ awareness on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of patients with osteoporosis.Material and methods. The study was conducted using the Yandex Forms service through an original anonymous questionnaire comprising 16 questions concerning personal characteristics (specialty, work experience, category, and academic degree), as well as the degree of awareness in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis. The questions about the treatment of the disease were compiled based on Russian and foreign clinical guidelines.Results. Knowledge of the causes and symptoms of osteoporosis was relatively high, but further findings from the survey on prevention, diagnosis and treatment revealed a lack of awareness among physicians in this area. Only 13.7% of respondents identified the potential use of the promising FRAX tool in osteoporosis diagnosing, and only 25% correctly selected first-line medications for treating the disease.Conclusion. The study revealed that doctors lack sufficient knowledge regarding the prevention, diagnosis, and drug therapy for osteoporosis. In our view, this finding underscores the need for a more comprehensive approach to this issue within the context of continuing medical education. The therapy effectiveness and patients’ complience directly depend on the communication between physicians and pharmacists. Therefore, it becomes essential to consider enhancing their collaboration in osteoporosis prevention and management.

Keywords

• osteoporosis
• medical practice
• medical care
• awareness of doctors
• questionnaire