New Releases Links Hip Fracture Interest Group Hip fractures, common in later life, are a major catastrophe for the victim and an enormous expense for the system. The cost in Canada runs to several hundred million dollars per year. The older person, usually a woman with a hip fracture, is frequently frail and has various other problems. The hip fracture and its subsequent management can leave the person dysfunctional with permanent physical and mental impairments.
Many hip fractures are preventable.
Proper management of osteoporosis can half the incidence. Fairly simple intervention in elderly in community dwellings can reduce falling. Most of this evidence has not, however, been translated into effective and co-ordinated practice. When a fracture has occurred, the patient frequently finds herself exposed to different segments of the system, moving from acute care, through rehabilitation, and to Home Care or, perhaps, long-term care. Within each segment much research effort has been expended in studying the outcomes for subjects who have sustained a hip fracture.