Osteoporosis on the air

A new podcast addresses various aspects of bone loss. Topics include prevention, diagnosis and treatment options. With this project organized by the German REKO, members Dr. Christiane Karrenberg and Prof. Dr. Uwe Maus want to raise awareness of this subject among physicians and patients.

“We both like the subject of osteology and enjoy talking about it.” There probably isn’t a more convincing way than Prof. Dr. Uwe Maus summarizing their motivation for a podcast about osteoporosis. He is sitting in a room in Dr. Christiane Karrenberg’s practice in Rösrath/Germany. There is a microphone in front of each of them and a mixing desk on the table: ready to record an episode of the REKO podcast, a regional circle of osteology experts in Germany. 

The first episode of the new REKO podcast was broadcast on June 1 2023, but the two podcasters – specialists in orthopedics and certified osteologists – have already produced some topics for the coming months. They will not be short of ideas. The spectrum of the topic makes sure of that. Over the coming weeks and months, they will discuss risk factors, for example, osteoporosis-specific laboratory diagnostics, or how other conditions can cause osteoporosis. Discussions with experts have also been scheduled, with a geriatrician, for example. When preparing to record the first episode, Christiane Karrenberg and Uwe Maus quickly realized how complex the whole subject is and that it requires a lot of editing.

“Each episode shouldn’t be too long. We feel that 20 minutes is a good duration for our listeners,” Christiane Karrenberg explains, “that’s why we don’t spend much time talking about fractures in general but more briefly and more specifically about vertebral fractures, femoral neck fractures, etc. in individual episodes.” By providing concise information, the two physicians want to thoroughly unlock the subject of osteoporosis to offer in-depth information for both physicians and patients. “First, we wanted to offer a purely scientific podcast,” Uwe Maus explains, “but we realized that it would be impossible to narrow down. And we want to target a wider audience. That’s why we address experts as well as family physicians and patients. We will label certain episodes for experts, for example, when we introduce new publications, the upcoming Disease Management Program or rare conditions. But anyone who wants to listen is welcome, of course.”

When looking for up-to-date formats to share knowledge, Christiane Karrenberg and Uwe Maus, who are both members of the REKO executive board, were thinking of the “Coronavirus Update” recorded by Christian Drosten – why not offer something like that for osteoporosis as well? “Our perspectives from working at a practice and in a hospital complement each other very well,” emphasizes Christiane Karrenberg. In addition to experts from other medical specialties, patients will also be invited to different episodes, to speak as experts in their own right. And who knows – perhaps they could even start a discussion with a healthcare politician about osteoporosis as a typical condition of an aging society. The subject would definitely be important enough.

New episodes of the podcast are broadcast every Thursday, every week to begin with, then at greater intervals. The podcast, including previous episodes, can be accessed on the REKO website as well as on Spotify, Apple Podcast and Google Play.

Image: Michael Bause