A New Clinical Pathway for Patients With Fractured Neck of Femur

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Hip Fracture; Aged
• Interventions: Procedure: Orthopedic care as usual; Procedure: geriatric work-up

• Registration Number: NCT00667914
• Lead Sponsor: Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Brief Summary

The intention is to evaluate the effectiveness of a multi-factorial medical treatment of patients with hip fractures in a specially designed unit for elderly hip fracture patients (orthogeriatric unit) as compared to traditional care in an orthopedic unit.

Detailed Description

The intention of the present project is to evaluate the effectiveness of multi-factorial medical treatment of patients with hip fractures in a specially designed geriatric unit for elderly hip fracture patients (orthogeriatric unit) as compared to traditional care in an orthopedic unit.

Every year 9000 patients undergo surgery for hip fractures in Norway. The epidemic of hip fractures is among the most common causes of acute hospitalization of older people and is associated with high morbidity, mortality, disability and subsequent hospital and social costs as well as reduction in quality of life.

Traditionally hip fracture surgery is performed and followed by care in orthopedic departments. Additional rehabilitation within the hospital is sometimes provided by a geriatrician and a team of rehabilitation specialists, but there is a lot of variety in these rehabilitation programmes. Studies have shown improved outcomes when older people were cared for by a specialist multidisciplinary team. However, the results are not conclusive and more research is needed also in that field, as stated by a Cochrane review.

It is well known that hip-fracture patients are frequently characterized by high age, co-morbidity and frailty, which may often be the main reason for falls and injuries as hip fractures. In a previous project performed by our group we showed that by treating acutely sick, frail elderly patients in a geriatric evaluation and management unit mortality was significantly reduced and patients' chances of living at home was improved. Later our research group has focused on assessment and treatment of older persons at risk of falling. Now we have started to focusing on the ultimate consequence of falling in frail elderly people: the hip fracture, through an observational study. The present study is partly also a consequence of this.

The present project will primarily examine the effect of establishing a radical and new clinical pathway for patients with hip fracture starting immediately at admittance to hospital by randomizing patients to treatment in an orthogeriatric unit (intervention group) or to treatment in orthopedic wards (control group) in the emergency department. There will be no specific follow-up after discharge from hospital.

Primary endpoints will evaluate possible effects on mobility as measured by Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). As secondary endpoints other relevant functional aspects, site of residence, health economic variables and mortality will be studied. This study will give increased scientific understanding of whether treatment in a specialized orthogeriatric unit can improve outcomes as mobility, the extensive numbers of nursing home admissions and high mortality after a hip fracture.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2008-04
• Study First Submitted: 2008-04-18
• Study First Submitted QC: 2008-04-25
• Study First Posted: 2008-04-28
• Primary Completion: 2013-01
• Study Completion: 2013-05
• Status Verified: 2019-12
• Last Update Submitted: 2019-12-01
• Last Update Posted: 2019-12-03

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 397

Inclusion Criteria

• age >70 years
• living in nearby municipalities
• able to walk 10 m before fracture
• medial, pertrochanteric and subtrochanteric hip-fractures

Exclusion Criteria

• nursing home residents
• expected to die within 3 months
• pathological fractures

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Orthopedic care as usual	Orthopedic care as usual	Traditional care in the orthopedic unit
Orthogeriatric unit	geriatric work-up	Geriatric work-up on hip-fracture patients

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Mobility	1, 4 and 12 months after surgery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Other functional aspects than mobility	1, 4 and 12 months after surgery
Site of residence	1, 4 and 12 months after surgery
Mortality	1, 4 and 12 months after surgery
Health economic variables	1, 4 and 12 months after surgery