Hip fracture is a severe injury to elderly people, often resulting in reduced mobility and loss of independence and further affecting their quality of life.
The treatment of these patients is based on a reference program described by an interdisciplinary steering committee of relevant professionals and including a number of evidence-based recommendations such as operation, time to surgery, pain management, and prevention of pressure ulcers. Since the perception of what hip fracture patients consider particularly important in treatment, care and rehabilitation and what they consider crucial to their future quality of life is still unclear, an active involvement of patients with hip fractures in the development of a Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) tool is recommended. Using PRO data in the clinical meeting with the patient shows that overlooked problems can be visualized, symptoms can be reduced, quality of life improved, and communication with and relationship with health professionals improved.
The aim of this research project is to develop a hip-fracture-specific PRO tool (questionnaire). In cooperation with patients and relatives, patients' preferences for treatment, care and rehabilitation after a hip fracture are identified and described as the basis for the development of the PRO tool. The project includes validation of the tool, a feasibility study regarding use of the tool, as well as subsequent outcome measurements.
The project consists of 5 sub-studies enabling us to develop and validate a hip-fracture-specific PRO tool for a vulnerable group of patients who often experience a significant impact on quality of life after hip fracture.
Previously, PRO tools have been used primarily for outpatient consultations and in relation to chronic or long-term patient pathways, thus the acute patient pathway and the group of elderly patients are an unexplored field.
The project is expected to contribute to a more patient-centred healthcare system by involving patients' individual assessments and wishes for the future. In addition, we aim at incorporating the PRO tool locally and in The Danish Clinical Registries (RKKP) for hip fracture patients, so that systematic PRO data from patients with hip fracture can contribute to the development of clinical quality.
Project collaborators:
Charlotte Abrahamsen (Principal Investigator), postdoc., Ortopædkirurgisk Afdeling, Kolding Sygehus, Sygehus Lillebælt & Unit of User Perspectives, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark.
Birgitte Nørgaard, associate professor, Unit of User Perspectives, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark.
Bjarke Viberg, MD, postdoc., Ortopædkirurgisk Afdeling, Kolding Sygehus & Den Ortopædkirurgiske Forskningsenhed, Ortopædkirurgisk afd. O, University Hospital Odense.
Søren Overgaard, MD, professor, head of research, Den Ortopædkirurgiske Forskningsenhed, Ortopædkirurgisk afd. O, University Hospital Odense & Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark.