Effectiveness of a multidisciplinary team approach to hip fracture management

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary Hip Fracture Service in the treatment of hip fractures in elderly patients. Baseline information and hospital outcomes were compared for 510 patients over the age of 65 with hip fracture treated before and after the institution of the Hip Fracture Service. Data included basic demographic data, admission laboratory results, surgical information, number of comorbidities, mortality, medical complications, discharge information, time to surgery, and length of stay in hospital. The demographics of the two groups of patients were similar. Patients treated as part of the Hip Fracture Service had fewer medical complications (36% vs. 51%), more often had surgery within 24 hours (63% vs. 35%), and had shorter hospital stays (mean, 5.7 days vs. 8.1 days) than patients treated before the Hip Fracture Service. These findings provide the rationale for a prospective, randomized trial of the service.