Background
The healthcare system does not do enough for older women’s needs and experiences. We spoke with 32 older women about this problem. These women felt unseen, unimportant, unheard and uninformed. They also felt that bone/joint health was an important issue for women aged 70+. Osteoporosis is a condition that makes bones more breakable. It causes around 180,000 broken bones per year and can lead to significant pain, disability and death. Osteoporosis costs approximately £4.4 billion a year in the UK. Women are four times more likely to have osteoporosis than men. Women tend to suffer fractures earlier. Osteoporosis care is poor in GP surgeries even though good guidelines are available.
Aims and Objectives
The aim of this study was to use insights from the experiences of older women and primary healthcare professionals to develop strategies to improve osteoporosis care.
Methods
This was a qualitative study involving older women aged 70 years and over and healthcare professionals involved in osteoporosis care. Using Grounded Theory, researchers built on previous literature reviews and interviews to iteratively develop key issues for exploration.
The study:
- Conducted interviews with older women and healthcare professionals about their experiences of osteoporosis diagnosis, treatment and management.
- Used an iterative approach, continuously reviewing findings and discussing emerging themes with a co-production group comprised older women and HCPs.
- Continued working with the co-production group throughout the project to refine the research questions, interpret findings and shape recommendations.
- Co-produced recommendations for service improvement and identified future research priorities.
- A champion from the Royal Osteoporosis Society was a co-applicant on the study and contributed through the Project Management Group, alongside wider public involvement throughout the research.
Further Information
The study was led by Anne Heaven, Research Programme Manager at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and sits within the NIHR ARC Yorkshire & Humber Health and Care in our Ageing Society theme under Older People.
The project ran from April 2024 to September 2025.
Click the image below to read the full summary results
