Recovery and prediction of physical function 1 year following hip fracture.
Monica Beckmann, Vigdis Bruun-Olsen, Are Hugo Pripp and 3 others
PMID 35332627WHAT IT FOUND
Physical function improves most in the first 3 months after hip fracture.
Pre-fracture walking aid use and discharge SPPB scores predict recovery. Asking about walking aids is a simple way to identify patients at risk of poor long-term outcomes.
Key findings
01The largest improvements in physical function, quality of life, and pain occurred within the first 3 months after hip fracture.
02Pre-fracture need for a walking aid and physical function at hospital discharge were the strongest predictors of physical function at 3 and 12 months.
03Participants discharged to a short-term nursing home had worse physical function than those discharged directly home.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Outcomes were only measured at three time points (discharge, 3 months, 12 months), so it is unclear if improvements happened steadily or in bursts within those intervals. The study took place in a single hospital in Norway, so results may not generalize to other healthcare systems or populations. A floor effect may have occurred in physical function tests at baseline because participants were highly impaired, reducing the ability to discriminate between patients early on.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that patients discharged directly home recover better simply because they have higher final scores. They also started with significantly better physical function at discharge, so the difference in outcome reflects their baseline status as well as their recovery rate.