Treatment of Osteoporosis and the Use of Digital Health Intervention

Osteoporosis, a disease characterized by decreasing bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration, increases bone fragility and fracture risk. Osteoporotic fractures most commonly occur in the spine, hip, distal forearm, and proximal humerus but can happen elsewhere in the skeleton. Although bone mineral density (BMD) assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry is the gold standard for the operational diagnosis of osteoporosis, the vast majority of fractures happen at BMD values that are not suggestive of the condition. With the rising prevalence of osteoporosis and fragility fractures, there is an urgent need to improve osteoporosis management throughout healthcare systems. Digital health technologies can be useful in improving the current state of osteoporosis care. Fracture liaison services (FLSs) have been found to considerably improve the quality of life of osteoporosis patients and could benefit from the use of automated solutions. Everything from clinical decision support systems and electronic medical record tools to patient choice aids and patient applications to educational resources and state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms are all included in the realm of digital health. To pinpoint the most effective areas to work on, this chapter examines AI-based solutions that apply algorithms within health system registries. Using digital health interventions focused on physicians, patients, or healthcare systems may improve the management and prevention of fragility fractures. With the use of digital technology, multidisciplinary teams may be able to provide patients with the best possible care based on the most recent data, and patients may also benefit from these tools for self-management.