Functional outcome after hip fracture. A 1-year prospective outcome study of 275 patients

Two hundred and seventy-five consecutive patients over the age of 50 years admitted with a hip fracture were prospectively studied in detail, to assess the impact of a hip fracture on their functional ability and their need for social support. One hundred and eighty-three (66.9%) patients survived to 1 year. Mortality was highest amongst those least able to perform the recorded activities. One hundred and fifty-eight (86%) of the survivors were resident in the same level of accommodation after 1 year. There was a reduction in mobility and related functions of 20-25% and a reduction of 5% in tasks not related to hip function. It is therefore estimated that in the year after a hip fracture there will be decline in functionally abilities of about 5% unrelated to the hip fracture and about 15-20% directly related to the hip fracture. There was an increase in the requirement for social support amongst survivors individually, but overall the total economic burden on social services and institutional care was not significantly changed by hip fracture.