Standardized out-patient diagnosis and treatment process for osteoporosis clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic

J. Zou, D.-W. Song, J.-J. Niu, J.-W. Shi, H.-L. Yang

Department of Orthopedics, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China. hlyang@suda.edu.cn

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• Infectious Diseases

Since the end of 2019, China and other regions around the world have been facing a pandemic of novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19). The virus is highly transmissible, and the human population is generally susceptible. Most patients with osteoporosis are postmenopausal women or elderly people with hypoimmunity, so the osteoporosis clinic has become a new hotspot for corona virus infection. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to establish standardized out-patient protocols to provide safe and effective treatment for osteoporosis patients and medical staff. In an osteoporosis clinic, we advocate the following suggestions to prevent and control osteoporosis during the pandemic period: (1) specialized diagnosis and treatment techniques for osteoporosis patients in the outpatient care, including enhancing the prevention for outpatient medical staff, strengthening awareness of COVID-19 prevention, strictly screening outpatients with COVID-19 infection, and insistent administration of anti-osteoporosis drugs during outbreaks; (2) home prevention for osteoporosis patients including keeping windows open, exposing them to sunlight, supplementing them with enough protein, exercising regularly, and administrating calcium supplements; and (3) simplifying the follow-up and evaluation of osteoporosis using online platforms.

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