A pilot investigation of the short-term effects of an interdisciplinary intervention program on elderly patients with hip fracture in Taiwan.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate an interdisciplinary intervention program for older people with hip fracture in Taiwan. DESIGN Randomized experimental design. SETTING A 3,800-bed medical center in northern Taiwan. PARTICIPANTS Elderly patients with hip fracture (N=137) were randomly assigned to an experimental (n=68) or control (n=69) group. INTERVENTION An interdisciplinary program of geriatric consultation, continuous rehabilitation, and discharge planning. MEASUREMENTS Demographic and outcome variables were measured. Outcome variables included service utilization, clinical outcomes, self-care abilities, health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) outcomes, and depressive symptoms. RESULTS Subjects in the experimental group improved significantly more than those in the control group in the following outcomes: ratio of hip flexion 1 month after discharge (P=.02), recovery of previous walking ability at 1 month (P=.04) and 3 months (P=.001) after discharge, and activities of daily living at 1 month (P=.01) and 2 months (P=.001) after discharge. Three months after discharge, the experimental group showed significant improvement in peak force of the fractured limb's quadriceps (P=.04) and the following health outcomes: bodily pain (P=.03), vitality (P<.001), mental health (P=.02), physical function (P<.001), and role physical (P=.006). They also had fewer depressive symptoms (P=.008) 3 months after discharge. CONCLUSION This intervention program may benefit older people with hip fractures in Taiwan by improving their clinical outcomes, self-care abilities, and HRQOL and by decreasing depressive symptoms within 3 months after discharge.