Osteoporosis NZ has developed collaborative relationships with a number organisations in New Zealand, Australia and other countries. These partner organisations share our desire to improve the lives of people living with osteoporosis. Mutually beneficial exchanges of ideas and resources help us all to expedite change in our respective countries.
New Zealand and Australia
Accident Compensation Corporation
ACC is working across the broader health sector, including Osteoporosis New Zealand to facilitate better integration of services for fall and fracture prevention in older people. By intervening early to identify falls risk and responding to “herald falls”, the aim is to prevent a known pattern of falling which often leads to a severe fracture. If a fracture does occur, effective treatment and rehabilitation will be provided and the falls prevention programme will ensure that the appropriate secondary prevention activity is coordinated for the patient to reduce the risk of further falls and, consequently, fractures.
We are working with and through our partners to support falls and fracture prevention activities including developing education tools and resources, promoting best practice and helping DHBs with data.
Australian & New Zealand Hip Fracture Registry
In October 2011, an Australian and New Zealand Hip Fracture Registry Steering Group (ANZ HFR) was established. The objective of the group is to establish hip fracture registries on both sides of the Tasman to enable benchmarking of delivery of professionally-defined standards for hip fracture care and prevention. In May 2012, the ANZ HFR was the recipient of a Bupa Health Foundation Award for AU$477,000. To date, ANZ HFR has led development of trans-Tasman acute hip fracture care guidelines which were published in September 2014. National quality indicators are in development and pilot collection of patient level data is ongoing across Australia.
Osteoporosis NZ has co-sponsored development, with the Health Quality & Safety Commission New Zealand, of the information technology platform for the New Zealand Hip Fracture. Discussions are ongoing regarding which organisation will host the registry in New Zealand. A business plan is in development which will be submitted to the Ministry of Health and the Accident Compensation Corporation, with the aim of securing operational funding. Several District Health Boards will undertake pilot testing of data capture in 2014.
Australian & New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine
The Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine is the professional society for geriatricians and other medical practitioners with an interest in medical care of older people.
The society acts to represent the needs of its members and the wider community in a bid to constantly review and improve the care of the older people in Australia and New Zealand.
Its major functions are around education, policy development and political advocacy.
Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society
The Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society (ANZBMS) is a professional medical / scientific society established in 1988 to bring together clinical and experimental scientists and physicians actively involved in the study of bone and mineral metabolism in Australia and New Zealand.
The mission of the ANZBMS is to be the premier Australasian society in the field of bone and mineral metabolism through promoting excellence in bone and mineral research, fostering the integration of clinical and basic science, and facilitating the translation of our science to health care and clinical practice.
Key objectives to achieve these goals include the nurturing and development of the future generations of basic and clinical scientists, and the dissemination of new knowledge in bone and mineral metabolism through our Annual Scientific Meeting. The ANZBMS will be proactive in shaping research and health policies based on scientific advances in our field.
Canterbury Osteoporosis Society
Canterbury Osteoporosis Society has members all over New Zealand. We provide personal support, advice on diagnosis and treatment. We have a newsletter four times a year with interesting information for our members.
Contact us at PO Box 21-012, Edgeware, Christchurch 8043.
Health Quality & Safety Commission New Zealand
The Health Quality & Safety Commission, New Zealand (the Commission) endorses the work of Osteoporosis New Zealand in promoting systematic approaches for optimal bone health, hip fracture care and prevention. One of the Commission’s core values is to work alongside stakeholders to improve health, quality and safety. We value the views of others and respect diversity of culture and opinion.
There is a natural alignment with Osteoporosis NZ through the Commission-led national Reducing Harm from Falls programme, the first quality improvement programme profiled in the Commission’s national patient safety campaign Open for better care.
We recognise that a whole-of-system approach is needed for populations of concern – ranging from those who are generally healthy and active, to those who are frail or live with complex chronic conditions, to those at the end of life. From a falls prevention perspective, sub-groups of this population can be targeted for interventions ranging from cost-effective population health-based primary prevention (such as home or community-based balance and strength exercise programmes) to higher-cost treatment and rehabilitation (such as ortho-geriatric care after hip fracture).
The Commission’s Reducing Harm from Falls programme strongly supports the establishment of fracture liaison services and the implementation of a Hip Fracture Registry for New Zealand, as we look for the best population outcomes and drive to achieve better integration of services through falls and fracture national and international alliances.
Justly
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New Zealand Orthopaedic Association
The New Zealand Orthopaedics Association established in 1952 is a member led association of virtually all orthopaedic surgeons in New Zealand including those in training. It has three main roles:
- Continual Professional Education where the emphasis is on reflecting on current practice to allow for continual improvement and the further development of the art and science of orthopaedic surgery through international networking and research;
- Teaching of registrars and house surgeons, especially those on the orthopaedic training scheme. The training schemes is a five year postgraduate apprenticeship based training where trainees are working towards Fellowship with the Royal College of Australasian Surgeons.
- The third aspect is advocacy on behalf of patients to ensure Ministry of Health funding levels are adequate for the orthopaedic surgery required by New Zealanders, ACC is treating clients fairly and the public is able to receive good accurate information about orthopaedic procedures.
Osteoporosis Australia
Osteoporosis Australia is a national not-for-profit organisation responsible for providing osteoporosis information and services to the community and health professionals.
The Australian Government recognises osteoporosis as a National Health Priority. There are currently over 1 million Australians with osteoporosis and a further 6 million with poor bone health. Over the next 10 years these figures are set to rise.
Osteoporosis Australia’s vision is: Healthy Bones for all Australians. Its mission is to reduce the incidence of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures through education, awareness and better management of the disease.
Osteoporosis Australia supports development and implementation of Fracture Liaison Services and fracture registries. The BoneCare2020 initiative instigated by Osteoporosis New Zealand is a strong example of what can be achieved.
International
Fragility Fracture Network
The mission of the Fragility Fracture Network (FFN) mission is to promote globally the optimal multidisciplinary management of the patients with a fragility fracture, including secondary prevention. FFN is a fast growing organisation with global reach and a multidisciplinary membership. FFN will play a vital role in sharing of best practice worldwide and support efforts to prioritise fragility fracture care and prevention in healthcare policy.
FFN focuses on the 6 key themes below. See the new FFN website for more details.
- Peri-operative care: Improving the peri-operative care of fragility fracture sufferers has, and will continue to be a major focus for FFN members and a theme of FFN Congresses. The two key components of peri-operative care are anaesthesiology and orthopaedic-geriatric co-care (otherwise known as orthogeriatrics).
- Surgical treatment: The primary challenge facing surgeons is how to obtain secure fixation of an implant to osteoporotic bone. Leading initiatives from the AO Foundation and Osteosynthesis and Trauma Care Foundation have identified and disseminated best practice.
- Rehabilitation: Returning hip fracture sufferers to their pre-fracture level of function and independence is a major challenge. In this regard, provision of effective rehabilitation is a vital component of any system of care for fragility fracture sufferers.
- Secondary prevention: Effective secondary prevention must urgently be established as a standard part of post-fracture care throughout the world. The International Osteoporosis Foundation Capture the Fracture Campaign and U.S. National Bone Health Alliance Fracture Prevention CENTRAL website provide extensive resources for those seeking to eliminate the secondary prevention care gap.
- Research and education: FFN Special Interest Groups are active in establishing a minimum dataset for hip fracture audit, developing evidence-based pathways for vertebral fracture patients and defining key questions in rehabilitation research.
- Changing healthcare policy: Driving policy change that will raise fragility fracture care up the healthcare agenda across the world is a major aim of the FFN. FFN Congresses and the FFN website provide a platform for sharing success in the policy arena.
International Osteoporosis Foundation
IOF’s mission is to promote the maintenance of bone, muscle and joint health as a worldwide healthcare priority
The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) is the only worldwide organization dedicated to the fight against osteoporosis and related musculoskeletal diseases. It is a not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization which brings together scientists, physicians, patient and medical societies as well as corporate partners. With a new individual membership option, IOF has extended its outreach to the general public and health professionals around the world.
The Foundation works with 225 member societies in 93 countries, territories or regions, to advance the understanding of osteoporosis and related musculoskeletal diseases as well as to promote awareness, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of these diseases worldwide.
IOF works to promote bone, muscle and joint health by:
- Empowering people to take action for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of bone, muscle and joint disorders
- Campaigning for policy change to make bone, muscle and joint disorders a healthcare priority
- Assisting healthcare professionals to provide the best possible care to people with bone, muscle and joint disorders
- Promoting and engaging in musculoskeletal research to advance knowledge in the field
- Supporting national osteoporosis societies to maximize their effectiveness in promoting bone, muscle and joint health
Among its numerous programmes and activities, IOF mobilizes the global osteoporosis movement on World Osteoporosis Day every year and organizes Regional medical congresses including the IOF Regionals for the Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin American regions. It co-hosts the World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases each year and organizes the IOF World Wide Conference of Osteoporosis Patient Societies every two years.
For information about osteoporosis, or the IOF, and osteoporosis societies around the world, visit www.iofbonehealth.org
National Osteoporosis Society
The National Osteoporosis Society is the only UK-wide charity supporting the millions of people affected by osteoporosis in the UK, and the health professionals that care for them. We are committed to helping people with osteoporosis and fragility fractures live the lives they want to lead and are working with leading clinicians, healthcare professionals and researchers to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the condition.
The Charity has been the leading authority on the condition in the UK for nearly 30 years and, with the help of our Royal President Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall, much has been done to raise public awareness (view our latest Annual Review 2013). We believe that everyone over 50 who breaks a bone should be assessed for osteoporosis and we are campaigning for better provision of Fracture Liaison Services as a proven, cost effective secondary fracture prevention model. This is very much aligned with Osteoporosis NZ’s FLS strategy and wider objectives identified in BoneCare 2020.
We are delighted to be recognised as a partner organisation and will continue to share knowledge and experience with Osteoporosis NZ.
Osteoporosis Canada
Osteoporosis Canada, a registered charity, is the only national organisation serving people who have, or are at risk for, osteoporosis. The organisation works to educate, empower and support individuals and communities in the risk-reduction and treatment of osteoporosis.
Our mission is to improve the quality of life of Canadians by preventing osteoporotic fracture through:
- Educating Canadians about Osteoporosis
- Advocating for optimal Osteoporosis care
- Investing strategically in Osteoporosis research
Implementation of Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) is a major short term objective for Osteoporosis Canada, as illustrated by our strategy Make the FIRST break the LAST with Fracture Liaison Services. Accordingly, Osteoporosis Canada recognises the importance of FLS as advocated by Osteoporosis NZ in their strategy BoneCare 2020.