New FLS at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Charlottetown, PEI

Brookfield Chair in Fracture Prevention funds new Fracture Liaison Service Program in Prince Edward Island

With the generous support of PEI Department of Health and Wellness, the Brookfield Chair in Fracture Prevention and Osteoporosis Canada, we are delighted to announce that a provincial PEI BreakFree FLS has become a reality.

With almost all patients with acute fractures in PEI being assessed and treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown, as inpatients or outpatients, the PEI BreakFree FLS is poised to make a tremendous impact on the lives of older adults with osteoporosis and to add substantially to the available data supporting the expansion of FLS nationally.

A dedicated FLS Nurse Practitioner coordinator at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital will identify islanders aged 50+ with their new fragility fractures, organize appropriate investigations to determine their fracture risk, initiate appropriate osteoporosis medications, and connect them with community resources as required.

Photo: Health PEI

Embedded within the Provincial Geriatric Program, the FLS and the FLS NP coordinator will join a team of care providers who are already dedicated to improving the health and quality of life of older adults. To build capacity and longevity within the program, our FLS NP coordinator and our Geriatric NPs will be cross trained in order to ensure ongoing collaboration, professional development and program stability. The positioning of the FLS within the Provincial Geriatric Program further ensures that referral to specialized Geriatric Services and to the Provincial Home Care Program is seamless, and that older adults with osteoporosis get the support they need in order to decrease their risk of future fractures.

The FLS NP coordinator was trained in mid-December 2021 with the clinic launching in early January. The first patient was seen by the FLS on January 17, 2022.

The PEI BreakFree FLS is listed on Osteoporosis Canada’s FLS Registry.

Osteoporosis Canada’s FLS Registry Map was launched to profile hospitals that have implemented FLSs meeting all of the 8 Essential Elements of Fracture Liaison Services. Each of the FLSs showcased on the Registry map has demonstrated a commitment to the principles of identification, investigation and initiation of treatment which will ensure fracture patients will receive the care they need to help prevent future fractures.