Clinical translation of IBEX BH at RCHT
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Clinical translation of IBEX Bone Health opportunistic osteoporosis screening: A feasibility study.
IRAS ID
340046
Contact name
Robert Meertens
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 9 days
Research summary
Currently at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT), there is an existing approved service evaluation where a software application, IBEX BH, has been installed and is being used as part of clinical practice for the first time. IBEX BH is a commercially available software which can be applied to wrist x-rays and identify poor bone health (suggestive of osteoporosis). As such, it can identify people who require further assessment of their bone health, who may have otherwise been missed. If IBEX BH suggests high risk of poor bone health, the patient is referred for a bone health assessment from the Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) team, which primarily involves a dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan of one hip and the lower back (this is the current clinical gold standard to measure bone density). If confirmed to have osteoporosis, patients can start preventative treatment and reduce their future fracture risk.
This ethics application outlines an extension of this service evaluation as research, which will request patients to attend for a single appointment for additional DXA scans outside of their clinical care. We are also asking these patients to consent to a survey which gauges their understanding of osteoporosis, and their views on the use of IBEX BH in clinical practice.
The additional DXA scans will allow further direct evaluation of the performance of IBEX BH in patients who are considered low risk or high risk.
The survey will inform us on patient views around osteoporosis and the use of opportunistic screening within the Trust.
Over a six month period, the study will recruit 103 participants over 50 years old who undergo wrist radiographs at RCHT clinical sites.
Alongside the existing service evaluation, this feasibility study will inform future larger-scale multi-site research of IBEX BH and how to optimise potential integration into clinical practice.
REC name
North East - York Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/NE/0127
Date of REC Opinion
28 Aug 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion