WEB EXTRA!
Virtually everyone talks about osteoporosis. But is anyone doing anything about it?
Well, yes. More than 400 family medicine residents, residency directors and faculty members have taken advantage of Better Bones Osteoporosis Workshops designed specifically for them. The workshops focus on:
The Association of Family Practice Residency Directors is sponsoring the workshops through an unrestricted educational grant from the Alliance for Better Bone Health. Program directors select workshop participants from among their residents. However, word about the program has spread, and several residents have called AFRPD directly to ask about registration, said Amanda Hanova, AFPRD program manager.
If you're a resident wanting to bone up on osteoporosis, call Hanova at (800) 274-2237, Ext. 6738, or visit http://www.afprd.org/bones/ for more information.
The program has two formats: one for residents, one for residency directors and faculty.
"The benefit of this program is that we can offer a high-quality educational program to residents in a subject area where there's an academic need," said Robin Winter, M.D. of Edison, N.J., president of the AFPRD. "The faculty development component provides ongoing materials that faculty can share with the residents who have not attended" the workshops.
Having both formats helps ensure the delivery of diagnostic and treatment information that has not yet reached medical school curricula, said Todd Shaffer, M.D., director of the Lee's Summit Family Medicine Residency program, Lee's Summit, Mo. Shaffer attended a July session.
Why family medicine residents?
"We're the ones on the cutting edge," said Shaffer., "Family physicians are the ones who are diagnosing and treating the majority of these patients."
Shaffer noted that the new bone mineral density test is a much more reliable tool for diagnosis than earlier tests. Besides, he said, "Most of the medications for treatment came out in the last five years, so there's not a lot about them in the medical school curriculum yet."
Through the AFPRD, the Alliance for Better Bone Health grant reimburses participants for air or rail travel, hotel, registration and meals. The faculty offer the sessions throughout the year and across the country to accommodate residents' schedules. Each session begins with an evening reception and features one and a half days of didactic and small group training.
The Alliance for Better Bone Health, which markets the osteoporosis medication risedronate sodium (Actonel®), is a collaboration between Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals and Aventis Pharmaceuticals. Other osteoporosis medications include alendronate sodium (Fosamax®), produced by Merck and Company; calcitonin (Miacalcin®), produced by Novartis; and raloxifene (Evista®), produced by Eli Lilly and Company.
Winter emphasized that the workshops are devoid of any drug marketing.
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