Southampton Arm Fracture Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessment of patients aged 65+ years with an upper limb fracture for frailty and sarcopenia for the prevention of future falls and fractures: a feasibility study
IRAS ID
247077
Contact name
Helen Roberts
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospital Southampton Foundation Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
35149, The ISRCTN register created on 16/04/2018
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 4 months, days
Research summary
A third of people aged over 65 years fall every year, leading to fractures in
10-15%. Arm fractures are often the first sign of fragile bones
(osteoporosis). 25% of these patients will suffer another fracture, often of
the hip, within 10 years. National guidelines recommend routine
assessment of people with arm fractures for fragile bones to help prevent
subsequent hip fractures.
The risk of falling is increased in people who are frail or have lost muscle
strength with ageing (sarcopenia). Both of these conditions are more
common in patients who suffer from fragile bones. Identifying and
managing frailty or sarcopenia when we age could reduce future falls and
fractures.
We will study 120 people aged 65 or over with an arm fracture from three
fracture clinics in one city in England. We will see if it is feasible and
acceptable to assess frailty and sarcopenia in a busy fracture clinic in
addition to assessing for fragile bones. We will determine the feasibility of
referring patients with frailty or sarcopenia to specialist services for older
patients for appropriate therapy and advice. This will provide information
for a future trial to establish if falls and fractures can be prevented.
We will assess patients in the study for frailty and sarcopenia using
questionnaires and physical measurements. This will allow us determine
the most practical measures to be used in clinic and how common frailty
and sarcopenia are among this population.
We will collect information on falls, fractures, health and social care input
over six months, and measure patient’s quality of life. Interviews with
patients and staff members will establish the acceptability of these
additional assessments.
This study has Public Involvement throughout, including steering group
membership, co-design of questionnaires and patient information leaflets,REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/NE/0377
Date of REC Opinion
13 Dec 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion