improving patient care
Caring for the most complex patients
As a national referral center for fragility fractures, the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center has premier-level certification for Geriatric Fracture Care Programs from the International Geriatric Fracture Society (IGFS). The IGFS promotes interdisciplinary co-management of fragility fractures, focusing on key quality indicators, including time to surgery, readmission rates, mortality and osteoporosis education. Ohio State is one of only 25 centers worldwide with this certification.“We care for the most complex patients and have the best reported outcomes,” says Laura Phieffer, MD, the program’s director and chief of Orthopaedic Trauma. The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center recruits accordingly to enhance its fall prevention programming, risk assessment, patient education and individualized follow-up care. “We have the first IGFS fellowship-trained geriatric orthopaedic trauma surgeon in the world – Carmen Quatman, MD, PhD – whose focus as a geriatric orthopaedic scientist is to transform fragility fracture prevention and fall prevention strategies in the community,” Phieffer says.
Dr. Quatman’s research projects over the past 17 years have resulted in 48 published manuscripts, a 2012 Association for Bone and Joint Surgeons (ABJS) Nicolas Andry Award, a 2016 Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) Clinical Research Award and a recent NIH R03 Grant for Early Medical/Surgical Specialists’ Transition to Aging Research (GEMSSTAR) Award.
Working to prevent subsequent fractures
Dr. Quatman is collaborating with community paramedics to help improve fall prevention strategies in older adults. Through partnerships with local paramedics, senior centers and social resources, her work includes:
- Fall prevention education
- Installation of grab bars, toilet rails and night lights
- Research to better understand the factors contributing to falls in homes and frequent “911” calls
