Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2015 Dec 4:15:160.
doi: 10.1186/s12877-015-0153-6.

The long-term effect of being treated in a geriatric ward compared to an orthopaedic ward on six measures of free-living physical behavior 4 and 12 months after a hip fracture - a randomised controlled trial

Kristin Taraldsen  1 , Pernille Thingstad  2 , Olav Sletvold  3   4 , Ingvild Saltvedt  5   6 , Stian Lydersen  7 , Malcolm H Granat  8 , Sebastien Chastin  9 , Jorunn L Helbostad  10   11
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The long-term effect of being treated in a geriatric ward compared to an orthopaedic ward on six measures of free-living physical behavior 4 and 12 months after a hip fracture - a randomised controlled trial

Kristin Taraldsen et al. BMC Geriatr. .

Abstract

Background: This study is part of the Trondheim Hip Fracture Trial, where we compared free-living physical behavior in daily life 4 and 12 months following hip surgery for patients managed with comprehensive geriatric care (CGC) in a geriatric ward with those managed with orthopedic care (OC) in an orthopedic ward.

Methods: This is a single centre, prospective, randomized controlled trial. 397 hip fracture patients were randomized to CGC (n = 199) or OC (n = 198) in the Emergency Department with follow-up assessments performed four and 12 months post-surgery. Outcomes were mean upright time, number and length of upright events recorded continuously for four days at four and 12 months post-surgery by an accelerometer-based activity monitor. Missing data were handled by multiple imputation and group differences assessed by linear regression with adjustments for gender, age and fracture type.

Results: There were no group differences in participants' pre-fracture characteristics. Estimated group difference in favor of CGC in upright time at 4 months was 34.6 min (17.4 %, CI 9.6 to 59.6, p = .007) and at 12 months, 27.7 min (13.9 %, CI 3.5 to 51.8, p = .025). Average and maximum length of upright events was longer in the CGC (p's < .042). No group difference was found for number of upright events (p's > .452).

Conclusion: Participants treated with CGC during the hospital stay improved free-living physical behavior more than those treated with OC both 4 and 12 months after surgery, with more time and longer periods spent in upright. Results support findings from the same study for functional outcomes, and demonstrate that CGC impacts daily life as long as one year after surgery.

Trials registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00667914 , April 18, 2008.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram activity monitoring in the Trondheim Hip Fracture Trial. Note: The figure shows number of completers at 4 and 12 months. Reasons for drop outs are listed separate for 4 and 12 months, where the total number of drop outs at 12 months lists all drop outs during the 12 months follow-up
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Upright time over 24 h 4 months (upper) and 12 months (lower) postsurgery, showing the mean time in upright for each hour of the day for comprehensive geriatric care (CGC) and orthopedic care (OC)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Fiatarone Singh MA, Singh NA, Hansen RD, Finnegan TP, Allen BJ, Diamond TH, et al. Methodology and baseline characteristics for the Sarcopenia and Hip Fracture study: a 5-year prospective study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2009;64(5):568–574. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glp002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mak JC, Cameron ID, March LM, National H. Medical Research C Evidence-based guidelines for the management of hip fractures in older persons: an update. Med J Aust. 2010;192(1):37–41. - PubMed
    1. Culhane KM, O'Connor M, Lyons D, Lyons GM. Accelerometers in rehabilitation medicine for older adults. Age Ageing. 2005;34(6):556–560. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afi192. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bentler SE, Liu L, Obrizan M, Cook EA, Wright KB, Geweke JF, et al. The aftermath of hip fracture: discharge placement, functional status change, and mortality. Am J Epidemiol. 2009;170(10):1290–1299. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwp266. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Resnick B, Galik E, Boltz M, Hawkes W, Shardell M, Orwig D, et al. Physical activity in the post-hip-fracture period. J Aging Phys Act. 2011;19(4):373–387. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Associated data