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| The service had a successful trial run in Shetland at the start of the month. |
The Go-Mobile project allows patients to undergo scans to check for bone thinning without having to make a long trip to hospital.
The resource also helps to identity those vulnerable to the effects of osteoporosis without them having to make special arrangements.
Scans undertaken on the unit will be performed by radiographers from the NHS Grampian Osteoporosis Unit, with the results and recommendations passed on to the patient’s GP.
David Reid, who is Head of the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Aberdeen, is leading the scheme in the area.
He said: “With this mobile unit, we are at the forefront of identifying and treating this serious and widespread condition. With a growing elderly population, [the risk of fracture] is expected to rise, with substantial implications for healthcare resources.
“In the North East we have scanning facilities in Aberdeen and Elgin. This means that many patients, some of them frail, can face long journeys if they live in rural parts of northern Scotland. This unit will bring a service for bone density assessment nearer to the patients’ homes.”
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| David Reid from the University of Aberdeen is leading the initiative. |
The Go-Mobile unit was acquired by Aberdeen charity Grampian Osteoporosis Trust, and the service will be maintained initially by NHS Grampian.
The National Osteoporosis Society has endorsed the initiative, which is also supported by the University of Aberdeen Development Trust.
Osteoporosis is common, especially in the elderly. “The lifetime risk of fracture in people over the age of 50 in the UK is 1 in 2 for women and 1 in 5 for men,” said Professor Reid.
“With a growing elderly population, this is expected to rise, with substantial implications for healthcare resources.”
The programme had a successful four-day pilot period in Shetland a fortnight ago and will now make its way into Aberdeenshire.
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