First Social Network for Osteoporosis Launches at Global Patient Conference

On Friday 18 March the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) announced the launch of OsteoLink, a new social network for people affected by osteoporosis. Through OsteoLink, the IOF will create the first global online and in-person network dedicated to improving communications about osteoporosis, a condition affecting one in three post-menopausal women and one in-five men in Europe.[
OsteoLink is both Online and In-Person As Numbers of 'Silver Surfers' Increase in Europe The key differentiating feature of OsteoLink is that it supports the osteoporosis community - including friends, family and health professionals - both online and with in-person group meetings. As women over 55 are being hailed as the fastest growing users of social networking, and people between 50-65 are the fastest growing age group using the internet in Europe,[2] local OsteoLink communities are designed to make it easy for people with osteoporosis to connect online and through community-based activity. In some countries, where online activity is lower, in-person activity will not only address gaps in communication but also provide tools and training, such as internet skills workshops.
'The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) is proud to be at the forefront of an innovative healthcare social network that directly answers urgent unmet needs in the way people with osteoporosis and healthcare professionals communicate,' said Patrice McKenney, IOF Chief Executive Officer, 'By helping to encourage better communication and stronger networks of support, we hope OsteoLink will lead to better personal management of osteoporosis and to greater understanding and advocacy for this serious condition that puts so many of us at risk.'
An Innovative Response to Unmet Needs in Communications and Understanding About Osteoporosis Concerns about the emotional and physical impact of this brittle bone condition are consistently underestimated by health professionals,[3] according to the results of a survey commissioned by the IOF in 12 countries in Europe and Australia. Published in the December, 2010 issue of Archives of Osteoporosis in an article entitled 'The gaps between patient and physician understanding of the emotional and physical impact of osteoporosis,' the survey findings suggest that:
-- While people with osteoporosis fear fractures, they also report missing doses of their medication, suggesting that the link between adherence to treatment and increased fracture risk is not fully understood.
-- Physicians underestimate how many patients worry about breaking a bone (51% vs. 79%) as well as patient concerns about decline in activity levels (40% vs. 70%), becoming dependent on others (30% vs.60%), and not being able to work for longer (30% vs. 57%).
-- People with osteoporosis believe that the most credible information about osteoporosis comes from specialists (94%), they want easy to understand materials (75%) and one-in-two would welcome discussing osteoporosis with others like themselves.