Position paper: a coordinated approach to fracture and fall prevention from seven international organizations

Abstract Fragility fractures constitute a major global health burden and often result from falls. However, clinical care for fragility fractures is currently organized separately from fall prevention services leading to gaps in integrated care delivery. This joint position paper from the European Geriatric Medicine Society, the Fragility Fracture Network, the World Falls Prevention Society, the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases, the International Osteoporosis Foundation, the European Union of Medical Specialists-Geriatric Medicine Section, and the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics–European Region highlights the critical need for integrated falls and fracture prevention, with a focus on evidence-based clinical practice, knowledge dissemination, education, policy strategies, and research. We outline existing guidelines on fall and fracture prevention, with particular emphasis on how fracture risk assessment can be incorporated into fall prevention services and on integrating fall assessment into fracture prevention services. We advocate that future implementation guidelines place greater emphasis on fully integrated models of care. Moreover, training and education programs should be designed to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration among healthcare professionals. Integrated fall and fracture prevention services should be recognized as a public health priority and incorporated into national strategies for healthy aging, supported by adequate, dedicated, and sustainable resources including evidence-based exercise provision. Finally, future research should focus on evaluating the (cost) effectiveness of integrated care models and examining their practical implementation in real-world settings.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
European Geriatric Medicine
Published
2026-09-10
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s41999-026-01596-7
Primary Topic
Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Position paper: a coordinated approach to fracture and fall prevention from seven international organizations

Tahir Masud, Tim Stuckenschneider, Yelda Öztürk, Hubert Blain et al.
European Geriatric Medicine
Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention
article

Position paper: a coordinated approach to fracture and fall prevention from seven international organizations

Tahir Masud, Tim Stuckenschneider, Yelda Öztürk, Hubert Blain, Cármen Queirós, Chris Awai Easthope, Lorenzo Chiari, Marta Neira Álvarez, Ellen Freiberger, Jesper Ryg, François‐Xavier Sibille, Bernard Cortet, Karsten E Dreinhoefer, Opinder Sahota, Timo Strandberg, Émeline Michel, T Kostka, Chris Todd, Schroder Sattar, Joke Spildooren, Erik Rosendahl, Nicholas C. Harvey, Alex Barreto de Lima, Tomasz Grodzicki, Stany Perkisas, Carmelinda Ruggiero, Mario Barbagallo, Evrim Gökçe, N.V. Grygorievа, Gustavo Duque, Frede Frihagen, Yannis Dionyssiotis, Balamrit Singh Sokhal, Ellen Vlaeyen, Maria BONNICI, Marko Kolšek, Lisa McGarrigle, Regina Roller‐Wirnsberger, Gülistan Bahat, James Frith, Hana Vaňková, Dawn A. Skelton, Meltem Koca, Eleftheria Giannouli, Lotta J Seppala, Cheryl A Sadowski, Özlem Yılmaz, Deniz Cengiz, Christoph Pertinatsch, Christof Kadane, Jorunn L. Helbostad, Maria Panourgia, Nathalie van der Velde, Jean-Yves Reginster, Emma Stanmore, Jūratė Macijauskienė, Jean Bousquet, Finbarr C. Martin, René Rizzoli, Alvaro Casas Herrero
article en

Abstract

Abstract Fragility fractures constitute a major global health burden and often result from falls. However, clinical care for fragility fractures is currently organized separately from fall prevention services leading to gaps in integrated care delivery. This joint position paper from the European Geriatric Medicine Society, the Fragility Fracture Network, the World Falls Prevention Society, the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases, the International Osteoporosis Foundation, the European Union of Medical Specialists-Geriatric Medicine Section, and the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics–European Region highlights the critical need for integrated falls and fracture prevention, with a focus on evidence-based clinical practice, knowledge dissemination, education, policy strategies, and research. We outline existing guidelines on fall and fracture prevention, with particular emphasis on how fracture risk assessment can be incorporated into fall prevention services and on integrating fall assessment into fracture prevention services. We advocate that future implementation guidelines place greater emphasis on fully integrated models of care. Moreover, training and education programs should be designed to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration among healthcare professionals. Integrated fall and fracture prevention services should be recognized as a public health priority and incorporated into national strategies for healthy aging, supported by adequate, dedicated, and sustainable resources including evidence-based exercise provision. Finally, future research should focus on evaluating the (cost) effectiveness of integrated care models and examining their practical implementation in real-world settings.

European Geriatric Medicine
Airbus (France) (FR), University of Copenhagen (DK), Jagiellonian University (PL), Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg (DE), Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LT), Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (GB), University of Helsinki (FI), University of Antwerp (BE), University of Alberta (CA), Inserm (FR), University of Lucerne (CH), University of Health Science (KH), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (DE), Universidade do Porto (PT), King's College London (GB), University of Oslo (NO), Glasgow Caledonian University (GB), Université de Montpellier (FR), Medical University of Graz (AT), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NO), Charles University (CZ), Atlantic University (US), Université de Lille (FR), University of Perugia (IT), Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (GB), University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (GB), Royal Stoke University Hospital (GB), Helsinki University Hospital (FI), St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GB), Mater Dei Hospital (MT), Ljubljana University Medical Centre (SI), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ES), Milton Keynes Hospital (GB), King Saud University (SA), Gentofte Hospital (DK), University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (GB), University of Manchester (GB), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice (FR), University of Saskatchewan (CA), ETH Zurich (CH), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE), Lille’s Cardiology Hospital (FR), Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (GB), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Montpellier (FR), CHU Dinant Godinne UCL Namur (BE), Laboratori Guglielmo Marconi (Italy) (IT), Yenişehir Hospital (TR), St Olav's University Hospital (NO), University Hospital of Geneva (CH), Navarre Institute of Health Research (ES), Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation Austria (AT), NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (GB), Medical University of Lodz (PL), Newcastle upon Tyne Hospital (GB), Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi (TR), D. F. Chebotarev State Institute of Gerontology of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine (UA), Centre for Health Technology and Services Research (PT), Finnish Dental Association (FI), National Rehabilitation Center (KR), Universidade Nilton Lins (BR), MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (GB), GGD Amsterdam (NL), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (ES), University Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady (CZ), Østfold Hospital Trust (NO), Hospital Universitario Infanta Leonor (ES), St. Luke's Hospital (MT), University of Southampton (GB), McGill University (CA), Keele University (GB), Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Coimbra (PT), Hacettepe University (TR), Istanbul University (TR), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE), University of Health Sciences Antigua (AG), Hasselt University (BE), Universidad de Navarra (ES), University of Amsterdam (NL), University of Palermo (IT), Umeå University (SE), University of Bologna (IT), UCLouvain (BE), Université de Caen Normandie (FR), KU Leuven (BE)
Openalex Percentile: Top 5%
Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.