Background: Fragility hip fracture (FHF) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in older adults. In 2018, Best Practice Nursing Care Standards for Older Adults with Fragility Hip Fracture (NSOF) were released by The International Collaboration of Orthopaedic Nursing (ICON). However, there are only limited clinical data about the application of this standard in clinical practice in China.
Aims: To determine the clinical practice effect of the NSOF.
Methods: A retrospective single-centre cohort study was performed from January 2016 to June 2020. Patients were divided into the standardized nursing care group (SN group) and the conventional nursing care group (CN group) depending on whether they were cared for according to the NSOF criteria. The propensity score matched (PSM) analysis was conducted in this study. The perioperative and follow-up outcomes between the two groups were analyzed.
Results: A total of 204 patients diagnosed with FHF were included in the study. After a 1:1 matching, 56 cases were identified in the SN group as well as the CN group. Patients in the SN group had significantly shorter preoperative wait times for surgery (17.4 ± 4.6 vs. 24.4 ± 7.6 h, p < 0.05) and a higher proportion of individuals performing exercise within 24 h after surgery (94.6% vs. 66.1%, p < 0.05). Notably, patients in the SN group also had a significantly shorter length of stay than those in the CN group (9.4 ± 3.1 vs. 14.2 ± 5.1 days, p < 0.05). At the 6-month follow-up, the incidence of refracture was significantly lower (3.6% vs. 14.3%, p < 0.05), and the timed up and go mobility index was improved in the SN group compared to the CN group (20.3 ± 1.7 vs. 24.6 ± 2.2 s, p < 0.05).
Conclusion: This study showed that application of the NSOF resulted in a significant improvement in the treatment of older adults patients with FHF.
Keywords: Fragility hip fracture; Nursing care standards; Older adults; Propensity score matched analysis.
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