Fracture recovery
HEALTH INFORMATION
Improving fall-related hip fracture treatment
WHAT WE KNOW
Falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalisation in persons aged 65 years and over and can result in hospitalisation. Between 22 to 60 percent of older people suffer injuries from falls, 2 to 6 percent suffer fractures and a smaller percentage suffer hip fractures. The most commonly reported injuries include superficial cuts and abrasions, bruises and sprains. The most common injuries that require hospitalisation comprise hip fracture, other fracture of the leg, fracture of radius, ulna and other bones in the arm and fracture of the neck and trunk.
The most serious of these fall-related injuries is fracture of the hip. Older people recover slowly from hip fracture and are vulnerable to a number of potential post-operative complications.
OUR LATEST RESEARCH
Evaluation and comparison of comorbidity measures to predict mortality and morbidity in older popula
This program of research evaluates the performance of commonly used comorbidity measures (Charlson Comorbidity Index, Elixhauser and Multipurpose Australian Comorbidity Scoring System) on the prediction of 30-day and 1-year mortality, 28 day re-admission, and length of stay in an older hip fracture population.
Australian and New Zealand Hip Fracture Registry (ANZHFR)
There are approximately 17,000 new hip fractures in Australia and 4,000 in New Zealand annually. The cost of the event is enormous, both for the individual and their family, as well as the health care system. There is variation in models of hip fracture care within and between States and Territories (Aus) and District Health Boards (NZ). Much of what happens in the acute and rehabilitation settings impacts directly on the longer term outcomes for the person with the fracture. The ANZHFR allows for timely comparison of meaningful data that can be used by providers of care to understand clinical practice, and trigger a case for change in places where improvement can be made.
