The Effect of Home-visit Follow-up With a Multidisciplinary Geriatric Team in Old Patients With a Hip Fracture

Among older individuals, falling is a strong predictor of frailty, morbidity, and mortality and may cause a fracture. Many older patients experience recurrent falls, further functional decline, and readmission within the first three months. Hence, fall-related visits to the hospital represent a "red flag" but are also an opportunity for targeted intervention and prevention of future falls. However, many older patients are only treated for fall-related injuries and discharged without fall risk assessment or evaluation, hence there is a need for follow-up with targeted fall assessment and intervention to prevent further falls.

Thus, the present project aims to examine the effect of home-visit follow-up of older frail patients discharged from the orthopedic ward with a hip fracture. Furthermore, we will explore the effect of a cross-sectorial collaboration between hospital and municipality in the patients' homes to prevent falls, readmissions, medicine-associated adverse effects, and physical deconditioning in old frail patients.

The present study is a interventional trial. The intervention will consist of a home visit within ten weekdays of the discharge, where a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) will be performed. The team performing the CGA consist of a Geriatrician and an experienced geriatric nurse. CGA is an overall assessment of the patient taking account of; the presence and severity of comorbidity, the nutritional state, cognitive and functional status, review of current medications, and social measures. The purpose is to stabilize and optimize current as well as chronic conditions, and reduce the probability of adverse events and falls, and to secure interventions or changes persist through the transition from the secondary to the primary health care system. The assessment may lead to several interventions, including; medicine review (new medicine, change in current or discontinuation), initiation of a nutritional effort or contact to a dietitian, referral to other health care services (outpatient clinics, hospitals, or general practitioner), referral to physiotherapy and/or occupational therapy or optimization of home care.

Patients randomized to the control group will receive standard care, where the subsequent need for medical service or increased home care will require contact with the general practitioner or the municipality, at the patient's initiative.