‘Orthogeriatrics': new book out now!

Opinder Sahota is a Consultant Physician and Honorary Professor of Ortho-Geriatrics Medicine, Nottingham University Hospitals. He is the Clinical Lead for the Ortho-Geriatric service in Nottingham, leading a team of six Ortho-Geriatricians in a department of 22 geriatricians, providing care for Fragility Fractures in older people. He has co-authored a number of national guidelines on the care of fragility fracture patients and currently chairs the Scientific Committee Fragility Fracture Network (FFN) UK, is a board member and scientific committee member of the Global FFN, and chairs the Global FFN Vertebral Fracture Specialist Interest Group.

The Fragility Fracture Network has just published the second edition entitled Orthogeriatrics- The Management of Older Patients with Fragility Fractures. This 360 page book is available freely (open access) from Springer Publishing here.

This book is the updated version from the first edition, stressing that the key feature of older people with fragility fractures is that they often have the dual problem of fragility (of the bone) and frailty (of their entire physiology). Therefore, the appropriate mode of management in the acute phase is orthogeriatric co-management, bringing to bear the relevant skillsets for dealing with these two problems simultaneously.

The book is presented as 19 chapters by lead authors across the world focusing on :

• i) the multidisciplinary management of the acute post-fracture period;

• (ii) the rehabilitation phase, starting immediately post-op but continuing for the rest of the patient’s life;

• (iii) secondary prevention—stopping the next fracture by addressing both osteoporosis and falls risk;

• (iv) the political pillar of creating national multidisciplinary alliances between the relevant mainstream professional associations, which can push for the policy change and multi-professional education needed to give impetus to the first three.

Download a free copy of ‘Orthogeriatrics- The Management of Older Patients with Fragility Fractures’ here.