Comprehensive and subacute care interventions improve health-related quality of life for older patients after surgery for hip fracture: a randomised controlled trial

Background: Elderly patients with hip fracture have been found to benefit from subacute care interventions that usually comprise usual care with added geriatric intervention, early rehabilitation, and supported discharge. However, no studies were found on the effects of combining subacute care and health-maintenance interventions on health outcomes for elders with hip fracture.

Objectives: To compare the effects of an interdisciplinary comprehensive care programme with those of subacute care and usual care programmes on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for elderly patients with hip fracture.

Design: Randomised controlled trial.

Settings: A 3000-bed medical centre in northern Taiwan.

Participants: Patients with hip fracture (N=299) were randomised into three groups: subacute care (n=101), comprehensive care (n=99), and usual care (n=99).

Methods: Subacute care included geriatric consultation, continuous rehabilitation, and discharge planning. Comprehensive care consisted of subacute care plus health-maintenance interventions to manage depressive symptoms, manage malnutrition, and prevent falls. Usual care included only 1-2 in-hospital rehabilitation sessions, discharge planning without environmental assessment, no geriatric consultation, and no in-home rehabilitation. HRQoL was measured using the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36 Taiwan version at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after discharge.

Results: Participants in the comprehensive care group improved more in physical function, role physical, general health and mental health than those in the usual care group. The subacute care group had greater improvement in physical function, role physical, vitality, and social function than the usual care group. The intervention effects for both comprehensive and subacute care increased over time, specifically from 6 months after hip fracture onward, and reached a maximum at 12 months following discharge.

Conclusions: Both comprehensive care and subacute care programmes may improve health outcomes of elders with hip fracture. Our results may provide a reference for health care providers in countries using similar programmes with Chinese/Taiwanese immigrant populations.