The Fracture Liaison Service Database (FLS-DB) ran a vertebral fracture sprint audit (VFSA) in 2021 to further investigate vertebral fracture identification.
The results of the VFSA are included in the 2022 FLS-DB annual report.
Identifying all patients aged over 50 years with a fragility fracture is a core function of a fracture liaison service (FLS). The systematic identification of vertebral fractures has been shown as particularly challenging for FLSs as it often requires different methods and generates a lot of additional work that needs to be covered.
The audit asked FLSs to search radiology reports to identify vertebral fragility fractures. It is really important to understand the local picture. So FLSs can confidently use their own local data to ensure their service has enough support needed to include patients with vertebral fractures.