Power to the patient: care tracks and empowerment a recipe for improving rehabilitation for hip
fracture patients
Sammanfattning
Background/Aim: New surgical procedures, early operation and medical optimisation in patients
with hip fracture have shown positive results on length of hospital stay. Our aims were to investigate
whether patient empowerment along with an individually designed, postoperative rehabilitation
programme could reduce length of hospital stay and whether the patients would have better chances
to return to their previous living.
Design/Method: Patients were recruited during a 12-month period 2009-2010, with an intervention
group treated with an individually designed, postoperative rehabilitation programme and a control
group treated in a traditional way according to the hospitals routines. Final assessment was
performed 4 month after surgery. The postoperative programme for the intervention group consisted
of four standardised care tracks adapted individually for the patients. Assessments of Activity of
Daily Living, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification of medical disease status and
Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire and living conditions were used to determine which care
track was most appropriate. The patients were cared for with focus of empowerment in their
rehabilitation.
Results:The study involved 503 hip fracture patients, 285 patients in the intervention group and 218
patients in the control group. The mean length of stay was 4 days shorter in the intervention group
than in the control group (p = 0.04). Varied only to a small extent between the age groups in the
intervention group and was greater between the age groups in the control. Patients in the intervention
group returned to their previous living in 90% compared with 80% in the control group (p < 0.05).
There were no significant differences between the age groups.
Conclusion: Patient empowerment administrated by specially trained nursing staff and with
specialised, tailor-made rehabilitation programme may be of benefit in helping patients to a shorter
hospital stay and to return to their previous living.