Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28756457›Full record

ArticleOsteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA2017

A comparison of electronic and manual fracture risk assessment tools in screening elderly male US veterans at risk for osteoporosis.

S T Williams, P T Lawrence, K L Miller, J L Crook, J LaFleur, G W Cannon, R E Nelson

Abstract readComparative Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 21% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. A comprehensive evaluation of seven osteoporosis screening tools.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2026
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

S T WilliamsSalt Lake City VA Medical Center and University of Utah Department of Internal Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. stwilliams12@outlook.com.
P T LawrenceSalt Lake City VA Medical Center and Roseman University of Health Sciences, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
K L MillerSalt Lake City VA Medical Center and University of Utah Division of Rheumatology, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
J L CrookUniversity of Utah Division of Epidemiology and Salt Lake City VA Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
J LaFleurUniversity of Utah Department of Pharmacotherapy and Salt Lake City VA Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
G W CannonSalt Lake City VA Medical Center and University of Utah Division of Rheumatology, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
R E NelsonUniversity of Utah Division of Epidemiology and Salt Lake City VA Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Lake City VA Medical Center · USUniversity of Utah · USRoseman University of Health Sciences · US

Funding

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 11-210U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs I50HX001240
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study compares four screening tools in their ability to predict osteoporosis. We found that there was no significant difference between the tools. These results provide support for the use of automated screening tools which work in conjunction with the electronic medical record and help improve screening rates for osteoporosis.

introductionThe purpose of this study is to compare the performance of four fracture risk assessment tools (FRATs) in identifying osteoporosis by bone mineral density (BMD) T-score: Veterans Affairs Fracture Absolute Risk Assessment Tool (VA-FARA), World Health Organization's Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX), electronic FRAX (e-FRAX), and Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Screening Tool (OST).

methodsWe performed a cross-sectional analysis of all patients enrolled in the VA Salt Lake City bone health team (BHT) who had completed a DXA scan between February 1, 2012, and February 1, 2013. DXA scan results were obtained by chart abstraction. For calculation of FRAX, osteoporosis risk factors were obtained from a screening questionnaire completed prior to DXA. For VA-FARA and e-FRAX, risk factors were derived from the electronic medical record (EMR). Clinical risk scores were calculated and compared against the gold standard of DXA-based osteoporosis. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values were calculated. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted, and areas under the curve (AUC) were compared.

resultsA cohort of 463 patients met eligibility criteria (mean age 80.4 years). One hundred twelve patients (24%) had osteoporosis as defined by DXA T-score ≤-2.5. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values were calculated. ROC statistics were compared and did not reach statistical significance difference between FRATs in identifying DXA-based osteoporosis.

conclusionsOur study suggests that all FRATs tested perform similarly in identifying osteoporosis among elderly, primarily Caucasian, male veterans. If these electronic screening methods perform similarly for fracture outcomes, they could replace manual FRAX and thus improve efficiency in identifying individuals who should be sent for DXA scan.

Indexed as

Electronic Health RecordsAbsorptiometry, PhotonAgedAged, 80 and overBone DensityCross-Sectional StudiesHumansMaleMass ScreeningOsteoporosisOsteoporotic FracturesRisk AssessmentRisk FactorsROC CurveSensitivity and SpecificityVeterans HealthFracture risk assessment toolFRAXOsteoporosisScreening

Identifiers

PMID28756457
OpenAlexW2740502293

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.