Bridging diagnostic gaps in osteoporosis and sarcopenia in long-term care: Leveraging a mobile assessment unit for clinical trials and comprehensive musculoskeletal evaluations.
Haeri, Nami Safai; Perera, Subashan; Greenspan, Susan L.
Why this matters
Long-term care residents are routinely left out of trials because they cannot travel to the equipment. A mobile assessment unit ran musculoskeletal evaluations across five randomized trials in more than 30 long-term care facilities, enrolling 876 residents for 3,623 assessments with no device-related adverse events.
Abstract
A mobile assessment unit was deployed across five RCTs in over 30 long-term care facilities from 2007 to 2025 for comprehensive musculoskeletal evaluations. A total of 876 individuals were enrolled and underwent 3,623 assessments. The mobile unit effectively conducted comprehensive assessments within 45 to 60 minutes per participant. No device-related adverse events occurred. This model offers a scalable solution to enhance musculoskeletal care access for older adults in LTC settings.