Medical specialty-related adherence to anti-osteoporotic regimens in fragility hip fracture patients

There is poor adherence in the management of osteoporotic fractures. We designed a study to investigate adherence to osteoporotic regimens among osteoporotic hip fracture patients and to analyze the risk factors associated with poor compliance. This retrospective chart-review study was carried out using a database of osteoporotic hip fracture patients at a medical center in Taiwan for the period 2001–2007. Adherence was assessed using compliance and persistence. Compliance was calculated by the medication possession ratio (MPR) and persistence by the time from treatment initiation to discontinuation. The MPR and corresponding risk factors for poor compliance (MPR < 80 %) were evaluated for year 1. The year 2 results were analyzed only for those subjects with good compliance (MPR ≥ 80 %) at the end of year 1. There were 366 osteoporotic hip fracture patients (323 women, 43 men) with a mean age of 73.9 ± 7.6 years. Of these, 53.8 % had good compliance for year 1 and 68.5 % for year 2. During 2 years of follow-up, the overall persistence ratio was 33.1 %. The risk factor associated with poor compliance in the first year was index prescription by orthopedists [odds ratio (OR) 1.69, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.10–2.59]. Subjects with hypertension (OR 0.69, 95 % CI 0.46–0.99) had good compliance. Index prescription by orthopedists (OR 2.44, 95 % CI 1.31–4.51) was the sole risk factor for poor compliance in year 2. In conclusion, although adherence to osteoporotic regimens was sub-optimal in hip fracture patients, the majority of patients’ decreased adherence occurred within the first year. Medical specialties showed different adherences in both year 1 and year 2.