Evaluating the orthogeriatric model of care at an Australian tertiary hospital

INTRODUCTION: The management of fragility hip fractures requires a collaborative multi-disciplinary approach to care to ensure optimal patient outcomes. It is important to rigorously evaluate the model of care and enable the delivery of evidence based optimal patient care. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this study was to document an orthogeriatric model of care (OGMOC) at a major tertiary hospital: assessing how particular indicators within the patient's admission were influenced by the OGMOC. METHODS: A retrospective case analysis of all patients with fragility hip fracture from two pre-intervention groups and three post-intervention groups was undertaken. Data from (i) length of stay in the emergency department (ii) length of stay in the orthopaedic unit (iii) time from admission to surgery and (iv) time from surgery to admission to rehabilitation were used. RESULTS: Implementation of the OGMOC resulted in: reduced time in the emergency department, quicker access to surgery, reduced length of acute hospital stay and an increase in the number of patients accessing the rehabilitation unit. CONCLUSION: This study contributes to the increasing body of evidence for best practice in the management of fragility hip fracture within an OGMOC.