The gap between women’s needs when diagnosed with asymptomatic osteoporosis and what is provided by the healthcare system: A qualitative study:

ObjectivesWomen diagnosed with asymptomatic osteoporosis need better support to understand the implications of the condition and how to practice self-management in their daily lives. In contrast, physicians report that asymptomatic osteoporosis is not a serious chronic condition and do not pay much attention to the condition compared to other chronic conditions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the gap between women’s needs, when diagnosed with asymptomatic osteoporosis, and what is provided by the healthcare system.MethodsA secondary analysis of semi-structured interviews with 17 women newly diagnosed with asymptomatic osteoporosis was conducted and combined with semi-structured interviews with six physicians. Giorgi’s descriptive phenomenological method was used in the analysis.ResultsTwo overall themes were identified: different perceptions of asymptomatic osteoporosis and discrepancies in the osteoporosis consultation. Habermas was used as a theoretical approach to discuss the findi...