Don’t let
your
Unawareness
Cost You
Your Bones’
Health
Objective
To raise awareness of the DEXA
machine so osteoporosis can be
detected and prevented at an
early stage.
Procedure
• Spoke with my mentors about the DEXA machine, so I am aware of
its capabilities
• Conducted research on the DEXA machine and osteoporosis
• Observed my mentor take a bone density test, so I know how the
DEXA works
• Questioned patients about how much they already know about the
DEXA
• Created posters to inform patients about what they should know
about the DEXA
• Presented the posters to my mentors, so they could approve of
them
• Handed the posters to my mentors, so they can utilize them at the
Centennial Medical Group
• Received constructive criticism from my peers by asking them for
ways to improve the posters
Learning Outcomes
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Utilized Mahara to showcase my research
Created an annotated source list
Researched in a proficient manner
Operated a University’s databases to search for research articles
Composed an abstract
Generated a questionnaire
Interacted with many different types of people
Observed a bone density test with a DEXA machine
Constructed posters that were appealing to a variety of people
Distinguished if a patient has osteoporosis or not
Learned about the dangers of osteoporosis and what happens if it’s left
untreated
• Assisted my mentor with many ICG’s, EKG’s, and PFT’s
• Entered patient information into the Centennial Medical Group’s databases
• Performed patient vitals
Abstract
When a person ages, they become more susceptible to osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is characterized as being a decrease in bone density, which
causes bones to be more susceptible to breakage. Osteoporosis can be
prevented by detecting and treating it with medicine in its early stages.
However, many patients are going undiagnosed because they are unaware of
the machine that tests for osteoporosis. Since not many patients know that
the DEXA machine exists, they are uninformed about the bone density scan
too. Therefore, I decided to make posters to inform patients about how the
DEXA can detect and help prevent osteoporosis. I researched osteoporosis
and the DEXA. I observed a bone density scan to become familiar with the
DEXA. I also spoke with many patients to determine the best way to
communicate the information. I then prepared posters for the patients, which
includes what the DEXA machine is, how it performs the procedure, and how
it can be beneficial to the patients. This poster is hung in the Centennial
Medical Group, so patients can read and learn about the DEXA. This poster
will raise awareness of the DEXA machine, so there can be more bone density
tests. Therefore, more patients will be diagnosed and treated, so they don’t
have to worry about osteoporosis.
Acknowledgements
Kenneth Brown- Clinical Operations Manager
Keith Brown- Procedure Technician
Megan Zanski- Medical Assistant
Dr. Rajiv Dua, M.D., MBA- Family Physician
Dr. Steven A. Geller, M.D., FACP- Internist
Kathy Canosa- Secretary
Criticism from my Mentors
• “Make sure to include information on osteopenia.”
-Megan Zanski
• “Make the whole poster at an 8th grade reading level, so everyone is
able to comprehend it.”
-Dr. Rajiv Dua
• “Only one modification. There are many Dexa machines located in
the area. Only 3 as sophisticated as ours.”
-Ken Brown and Keith Brown
These are the results that would be displayed on a computer. The T-score determines if a
patient has osteoporosis or not; a T-score is the number of units that the patient’s bone
density is above or below the bone density of a healthy young adult of the same gender.
If the T-score is between -1 and -2.5, then the patient has a osteopenia, a less severe
version of osteoporosis. If the T-score is below -2.5, then the patient has osteoporosis.
This is a comparison between a healthy bone and an osteoporotic bone. As one can see,
the osteoporotic bone looks porous and less dense. Since the bones become extremely
fragile, they’re more susceptible to breakage.
This scale describes what the range for T-scores would be for someone with normal
bones, osteopenia, or osteoporosis. Osteopenia is a decrease in bone density, but it is not
as severe as osteoporosis.
This is a picture of a DEXA machine and its computer.
This diagram shows the components of a DEXA machine. A patient will lay down on the
scan table and the C-arm will pass over the patient’s body. An x-ray beam will pass
through the patient’s body, and the amount of x-rays absorbed by the bones will
determine the strength of the bones.
During a bone density scan, a patient will be
exposed to x-rays, and bone strength will be
measured based on how many x-rays are absorbed
by the bones. Then the results will be displayed on a
computer.
Works Cited