Global computer-assisted appraisal of osteoporosis risk in Asian women: an innovative study.

AIMS AND

OBJECTIVE

To develop a computer-assisted appraisal system of osteoporosis that can predict osteoporosis health risk in community-dwelling women and to use it in an empirical analysis of the risk in Asian women.

BACKGROUND

As the literature indicates, health risk assessment tools are generally applied in clinical practice for patient diagnosis. However, few studies have explored how to assist community-dwelling women to understand the risk of osteoporosis without invasive data.

DESIGN

A longitudinal, evidence-based study.

METHOD: The first stage of this study is to establish a system that combines expertise in nursing, medicine and information technology. This part includes information from random samples (n = 700), including data on bone mineral density, osteoporosis risk factors, knowledge, beliefs and behaviour, which are used as the health risk appraisal system database. The second stage is to apply an empirical study. The relative risks of osteoporosis of the participants (n = 300) were determined with the system. The participants that were classified as at-risk were randomly grouped into experimental and control groups. Each group was treated using different nursing intervention methods.

RESULTS

The sensitivity and specificity of the analytical tools was 75%. In empirical study, analysis results indicate that the prevalence of osteoporosis was 14.0%. Data indicate that strategic application of multiple nursing interventions can promote osteoporosis prevention knowledge in high-risk women and enhance the effectiveness of preventive action.

CONCLUSIONS

The system can also provide people in remote areas or with insufficient medical resources a simple and effective means of managing health risk and implement the idea of self-evaluation and self-caring among community-dwelling women at home to achieve the final goal of early detection and early treatment of osteoporosis.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This study developed a useful approach for providing Asia women with a reliable, valid, convenient and economical self-health management model. Health care professionals can explore the use of advanced information systems and nursing interventions to increase the effectiveness of osteoporosis prevention programmes for women.