Returning home after surgery for hip fracture

Research into hip fracture focuses on mortality, despite the fact that patients are more concerned to avoid long-term dependency and institutional care.  

A research study published in Age and Ageing in 2022 identified factors that were associated with a successful return home. The work used records from 2018/19 for 87,797 patients in the National Hip Fracture Database, to look at whether people were discharged home (as 65% were) or were living in their own home at 120 days.  

The chance of return home was unsurprisingly lower for people with cognitive impairment and those with malnutrition, or ‘at risk of malnutrition’ on admission screening, and for those presenting in the early morning (04:00 to 07:30).

The study also looked at how local service organisation affected successful return home – identifying the additional risk associated with delay to surgery for logistical reasons and the benefit of a pre-op. nerve block in the ward or emergency unit.  

Dr. Johansen, one of the study authors, stated that “the study is helpful in identifying key patient and service challenges we must make a priority for local improvement work”.  

You can view the survey here!