Erasmus Medical Center

The Fracture Liaison Service of the Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam has been initiated by Dr Carola Zillikens, who currently directs the EMC Bone Center. The FLS has been fully operational since 2014. In March 2016 it has been credited with, in the Netherlands currently the only , GOLD standard .

A  nurse practitioner leads the service and targets all patients aged over 50 who sustain a fracture. All patients receive lifestyle consultation and fracture risk assessment, including DXA, VFA and laboratory screening for secondary osteoporosis according to clear pre-specified screening and treatment protocols . If needed patients are referred to the fall prevention clinic or endocrinologist for further examinations and treatment. Patient satisfaction and compliance to initiated medication is checked within a reasonable time frame.

As a large university/ teaching hospital we play a major role in raising the awareness of fracture risk and osteoporosis through teaching medical students and medical residents.
We believe that our success is related to a strong collaboration between the Bone Center and departments of Traumatology, Orthopedics and Geriatrics. And the dedicated nurse practitioner has a major determining role in running and maintaining this successful Fracture Liaison service.