Capture of osteoporosis and fracture information in an electronic medical record database from primary care.

In a large database of EMR records, we explore: 1) completeness in capture of bone mineral density (BMD) T-scores required for diagnosis of osteoporosis; 2) concordance of BMD exam information with other osteoporosis information; and 3) evidence of osteoporosis screening among fracture patients. To explore completeness of exam capture, BMD exams in the EMR were related to a provincial billing database. To explore concordance of information and screening rates, 7500 EMR records were reviewed for osteoporosis and fracture details. Results show that 98% of exams billed to the province for EMR patients were found in the EMR. However, documented osteoporosis was substantiated with BMD results only 55.8% of the time. Of 151 charts for fragility fracture patients, 1 in 4 contained no evidence of osteoporosis investigation. In summary, while EMR information about osteoporosis is of variable quality, EMR records shed light on osteoporosis management indicators and completely capture BMD results.