Fracture X-ray Scientists at Sydney-based Garvan Institute of Medical Research have created web-based tool called the Fracture Risk Calculator. Elderly people will be able to use it to predict their bone fracture risk.

This web tool has been developed with the help of the data from the Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study that spanned 17 years. The tool has also used a combination of five factors including age, sex, weight, history of prior fracture, number of falls in the past 12 months and bone mineral density.

According to Tuan Nguyen, lead research and associate professor at Garvan Institute of Medical Research, “We have kept our model simple and easy to use. In addition to the Web-based version, it is also available on paper as a nomogram, a simple graph which is easy for clinician to complete.”

This web based tool was developed in two stages by combining a statistical model of low risk and high risk categories. This allowed the scientists to derive the weighting for each risk factor.

The Fracture Risk Calculator web tool presents individuals the potential to make informed judgments about their actual risk and take steps to reduce that risk.