Perception, knowledge, and use by general practitioners of Belgium of a new WHO tool (FRAX^®) to assess the 10-year probability of fracture

The FRAX^® tool that calculates the 10-year probability of having a fracture has recently been validated for Belgium. Little is known about the perception and knowledge that GPs have about this tool in their daily practice. A survey has been conducted as part of a screening campaign for various diseases. The primary objective of the present study was to assess the perception and the knowledge of the FRAX^® tool by GPs. The secondary objective was to assess the impact of an information brochure about the FRAX^® tool on these outcomes. The survey was sent to a sample of 700 GPs after only half of them had received the information brochure. The survey results show that, out of the 193 doctors who responded to the survey, one-third know the FRAX^® tool but less than 20 % use it in their daily clinical practice. Among those who use it, the FRAX^® tool is largely seen as a complementary but not as an essential tool in the diagnosis or in the management of osteoporosis. It appears that the brochure could improve the knowledge of the FRAX^® tool but it would not be more efficient on its use in daily practice than the other sources of information. At present, the use of the FRAX^® tool in Belgium is limited but an information brochure could have a positive impact on the knowledge of the FRAX^® tool.