Long-term Impact of Hip Fracture on the Use of Healthcare Resources: a Population-Based Study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of hip fracture (HF) on health care expenditures and resource use. DESIGN: Observational, retrospective study. An administrative registry was used to obtain sociodemographic, clinical, and expenditure data of patients treated in centers all over Catalonia (North-East Spain). SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Male and female patients aged 65 years or older admitted to a Catalonian hospital due to hip fracture (HF) between January 1 2012, and December 31, 2016. MEASURES: The study data set included the expenditure and frequency of using nonemergency transport, rehabilitation, skilled nursing facility, specialist visits, admissions to the emergency department, hospitalization, pharmacy, and primary care. The patient status at each time point included living at home, staying in hospital, staying in a skilled nursing facility, institutionalized in a nursing home, and death. RESULTS: The record included 38,628 patients (74.4% female) with a mean [standard deviation (SD)] age of 84.9 (7.07) years. The average expenditure per patient during the first year after hospital admission was €11,721.06, the index hospitalization being the leading expenditure (€4740.29). Expenditures related to hospitalization and skilled nursing facility remained higher than preinjury throughout the 3 years following HF. Three years after the index admission, 44.9% of patients had died, 39.7% were living in their homes, 14.2% were in a nursing home, 0.9% were in a skilled nursing facility, and 0.3% were in hospital. The expenditure of hospitalizations, primary care, and visits to the emergency department increased few months before the HF. CONCLUSIONS: In patients hospitalized for HF, the expenditure per patient decreases after hospital discharge but the use of healthcare resources is not restored to preinjury values. The increase of expenditures associated with primary care services, hospitalization, and emergency department services during the few months preceding hospital admission suggests a decline of health status in these patients.

Influence of demographic and clinical characteristics of elderly patients with a hip fracture on mortality: A retrospective, total cohort study in North-East Spain.

IMPORTANCE: The increased mortality after hip fracture (HF) is caused by multiple factors, and large samples are needed to assess the weight of each factor. To date, few studies have investigated these factors through a total cohort approach, and the complexity of underlying medical conditions has not been considered. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of demographic and clinical characteristics on increased mortality risk in elderly patients with hip fracture (HF). DESIGN: Retrospective, total cohort study collecting 4-year data. SETTING: All hospitals and primary care units owned by, or associated with, Catalonia's local health department (CatSalut) (north-east Spain). PARTICIPANTS: All patients aged ≥65 years, admitted to Catalan hospitals from CatSalut because of a HF between 1st January 2012 and 31st December 2015. EXPOSURE: Hip fracture. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome was survival. Measures regarding demographic and clinical characteristics at the moment of hospital admission included age, sex, osteoporosis treatment, previous fractures, type of intervention, nutritional status, and comorbidities. Patients were stratified using the Adjusted Morbidity Groups (GMA) risk assessment tool. RESULTS: Of the 30,552 patients included in the study sample, 10,439 (34%) died during follow-up, 6821 (22%) within the first year after hospital admission. Mean (SD) age was 84 (7) years; 75% were female. Baseline factors with greater influence on survival were age (HRs 1.44 [95% CI 1.22-1.70], 2.38 [2.03-2.79], and 4.38 [3.73-5.15] for age groups 70-79, 80-89, and >89, respectively), underweight (HR 1.65 [1.36-2.01]), lack of surgical intervention (HR 2.64 [2.47-2.83]), and very high risk stratum of GMA risk (HR 1.58 [1.45-1.73]). Vitamin D/calcium supplementation and osteoporosis treatment showed a significant but moderate influence on mortality (HRs 0.84 (0.79-0.88) and 0.92 [0.85-0.99], respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In elderly patients with HF, age and health status factors at hospital admission have the greatest impact on mortality risk after hospital admission. Our findings encourage a comprehensive intervention aimed at improving underlying medical conditions of HF patients.