Some hip fracture patients are more than twice as likely to die within a month as others, depending on their zip code.
Each year, over 70,000 people are admitted to a hospital in the United Kingdom with a hip fracture.
A team from the University of Bristol discovered that in certain hospitals, 10% of patients died within 30 days, whereas in others, only 3.7% did. Some hospitals held patients for an average of 12 days, while others kept them for 42.
In some institutions, the likelihood of a patient returning was approximately 4%, whereas in others it was 30%.
In hospitals where staff held monthly meetings to review patient input, mortality rates were lower.
Deborah Alsina MBE, of Versus Arthritis, stated, “Hip fractures mostly impact older people… the quality of care is a significant indicator of whether we’re providing the correct care for older people in general.” This study indicates that we are not.
The NHS is ‘continuously monitoring’ data on care disparities, according to a spokesman.
Dr. Rita Patel, the study’s principal author, stated, ‘It appears likely that teams willing to set aside time to review their patients’ experiences are motivated to enhance their service.
“Communication appears to be one of the most important reasons why patients are readmitted to the hospital. Significantly fewer patients were readmitted to hospitals if rehabilitation staff was aware of how quickly community programs could begin helping patients after their discharge.
Researchers predict that 890 extra readmissions may be averted annually in England and Wales if all hospitals had a better understanding of delays between discharge and the beginning of community therapy.
The outcomes of this study will inform the development of a new “Toolkit” for hospital administrators and senior physicians, which is being created in partnership with the Royal Osteoporosis Society.
Jill Griffin, the project’s principal investigator and Clinical Engagement Lead at the Royal Osteoporosis Society, stated, ‘The research findings have provided us with valuable information and demonstrated how we can collaborate with healthcare providers and hospitals to improve patient recovery following a hip fracture.
The study data enabled us to make recommendations that are being used to develop a toolbox for healthcare providers, to drastically enhance the quality of care for everyone who experiences a hip fracture.
