Psychosocial Factors Are Rarely the Focus of Rehabilitation After Hip Fracture: A Short Report of Routinely Collected Health Data.

The audit counted only what was written in the clinical file. Therapists may have done more for patients than they recorded, so the real amount of psychosocial care may be higher than reported. The authors say the goals written down may not have reflected the psychosocial issues that mattered to some patients. All patients came from one community rehabilitation program in Melbourne, so it is unclear how far the results apply elsewhere, although the authors note similar findings in earlier audits of Australian and Danish rehabilitation programs. This is a description of what was documented. There was no comparison group and no follow-up, so it cannot show whether addressing psychosocial issues during rehabilitation changes how patients recover. The multidisciplinary team did not include a psychologist.

The study was supported by a small internal grant from La Trobe University. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Do not read the low numbers as proof that these therapists ignored their patients' distress. The audit counted only what was written in the clinical notes, and the authors state that therapists may have given more psychosocial assessment and treatment than they recorded.