Archive for the ‘General’ Category


Resident Violence | The Broset Violence Checklist

Introduction to the Broset Violence Checklist The Broset Violence Checklist is a simple, six item list that was developed to predict violent behavior in psychiatric patients before it escalated into a dangerous episode of resident violence.  Use of this checklist was found to be useful in identifying patients who were beginning to decompensate and allowing [...]

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Osteoporosis Treatment – The Bisphosphonates

Overview of Bisphosphonates in Osteoporosis Treatment The bisphosphonates (Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva, Reclast, Zometa) are frequently prescribed for treatment of osteoporosis.  They work by inhibiting osteoclasts. Osteoclasts are bone cells that breakdown old bone and allow for ongoing remodeling of bone.  This leads to bones that are denser on X-ray and will give better bone densitometry [...]

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Osteoporosis Treatment – The Basics

Osteoporosis Treatment Overview Osteoporosis treatment may be divided into basic, low risk/cost interventions, and pharmacologic, higher risk/cost, approaches.  Basic treatment should be considered for both prevention and treatment of all persons at risk for or with a diagnosis of osteoporosis. This level of intervention includes exercise, smoking cessation, limiting alcohol intake, maintaining adequate vitamin D [...]

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Osteoporosis Treatment – Pharmacologic Treatment

Introduction to Pharmacologic Treatment of Osteoporosis in the Long Term Care Setting The previous blog covered the simple, inexpensive ways to prevent and treat osteoporosis (OP) .  This post will review commonly used pharmacologic interventions.  Since this site reviews topics from the viewpoint of treating long term care residents, some treatments that might be appropriate [...]

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Osteoporosis | Fracture Risk Assessment Tools

Introduction to Fracture Risk due to Osteoporosis Although the presence of low bone density on DXA testing can define a person with osteoporosis (DXA T-score less than -2.5) or osteopenia (DXA T-score – 1 to -2.5) it does not fully predict one’s risk for developing an osteoporotic fracture. In fact, less than 50% of women who [...]

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