This article has been contributed by the Russian Association on Osteoporosis - RAOP

On June 23, 2020, the Russian Association on Osteoporosis (RAOP) organized a webinar entitled “Prevention Of Secondary Fractures: practical issues of service organization” which was hosted on the scientific and information platform of the “Internist”, with the support from AMGEN. The event was held in the framework of the global launch of the IOF Capture the Fracture®  Partnership which aims to reduce vertebral and hip fractures by 25% by 2025, through the implementation of secondary fracture prevention services (SFPs) - known internationally as Fracture Liaison Services. These services have already been created in a number of cities in Russia and their implementation is widely endorsed by Russian specialists and experts in the field.

The webinar was moderated by Professor Olga Lesnyak, President of the Russian Association On Osteoporosis (St. Petersburg). Participants at the webinar included: Professor Olga Ershova, Vice-President of the Russian Association On  Osteoporosis (Yaroslavl); Ph.D. Ilya Babenko, Deputy Head of the Federal Center for the Coordination of Activities of the Subjects of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Organization of Medical Assistance in the "Geriatrics" Profile, Russian State Scientific and Practical Center of Federal State Budgetary Educational Establishment of Higher Education named after N.I. Pirogov of the Ministry of Health of Russia (Moscow); Ph.D. Ksenia Belova, Head of the Regional Medical and Diagnostic Center On  Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis, Clinical Emergency Hospital named after N. V. Solovyov (Yaroslavl); and MD Elena Gladkova (Clinical Hospital No. 25, St. Petersburg).

The webinar was attended by about 700 health care professionals from 25 regions throughout Russia. The dynamic presentations were followed by participants asking many practical questions. Questions included, for example, whether foreign experience was used to create SFPS in Russia, whether special courses for doctors  are  planned, and what the guidance for the follow-up of patients with secondary fractures is, among other pertinent questions.

Presentations included: “What is the  Secondary Fractures Prevention  Service, “Prometheus” Register - Goals and Tasks” by Olga Lesnyak; “Ways to implement the Program for the prevention of falls and fractures in citizens of older age groups” by  Ilya Babenko; “Practical aspects of organizing Secondary Fractures  Prevention Services  (SFPS)” by Olga Ershova; “How to ensure the stability of SFPS and achieve maximum results taking into account local conditions? Experience in organizing SFPS in Yaroslavl” by Ksenia Belova; and “Experience in organizing SFPS in St. Petersburg” by Elena Gladkova.

The further development of Secondary Fractures Prevention Service in Russia will save the lives of many people suffering from this “silent” disease.

Commitment to the development of secondary fracture prevention services in Russia has been an ongoing process which began in 2012 under the auspices of the RAOP with the launch of the “Prometheus” project (“Creating services for the prevention of secondary fractures in patients with osteoporosis”). In 2018, the first webinar “Get mapped: getting recognition of your service for the prevention of secondary  fractures (SFP) among the best practices”, which was held in Yaroslavl on the initiative of the IOF with the participation of Ph.D. Ksenia Belova, took place. The service for the prevention of secondary fractures in Yaroslavl is marked on the interactive map of the Capture the Fracture program. It has been recognized with a Silver Medal from the International Osteoporosis Foundation( IOF) in terms of achievements and compliance with standards developed to evaluate the performance of such services.

RAOP is grateful to IOF and looks forward to being a strong supporter of the new IOF “Capture the Fracture Partnership” initiative going forward.