Nursing Care and Management of THE ELDERLY HIP FRACTURED PATIENT

This study examined the effects of a geriatric orthopaedic nursing education program of care for the elderly hip fractured patient on selected patient outcomes using a post-test non -equivalent control group design. The nursing staff of a 26-bed orthopaedic unit attended a one-day educational workshop focusing on common problems the elderly patient experiences in the acute care setting. Weekly patient care rounds were then implemented on the unit for the duration of the study. Development of clinical risks, perioperative complications, length of stay and maintenance of pre-admission residence status for patients admitted with a hip fracture to the experimental unit (n=90) were compared to patients admitted to three similar units (n=o3). Data were analyzed using one-tailed t tests and chi square technique, with alpha set at .05. A significant difference was found between the two groups with respect to time to first ambulation (2.1 days for the experimental group compared with 2.67 days for the control) and length of stay on the orthopaedic unit (17.38 days for the experimental group compared to 21 .68 days for the control). It was concluded that this type of program provides nursing staff with a sound knowledge base for the provision of effective care to the acutely ill elderly patient resulting in positive patient outcomes. This finding has direct implications for nursing practice and development of collaborative health team practice.