Quality indicators for hip fracture patients: a scoping review protocol

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Health Services Research
• Orthopedic Surgery

Background:

• Hip fractures are a major cause of patient morbidity and mortality, burdening healthcare systems.
• Measuring quality of care is crucial for improving patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency.
• A comprehensive understanding of existing quality indicators is needed for hip fracture patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize evidence on patient, institutional, and system-level quality of care indicators for hip fracture patients.
• To identify current and proposed indicators for measuring quality across the continuum of care.
• To inform strategies for enhancing hip fracture care and health system performance.

Main Methods:

• Scoping review utilizing Arksey and O'Malley and Levac et al. frameworks.
• Inclusion of English, peer-reviewed studies from 2000 to present, focusing on low-trauma hip fractures.
• Systematic literature search across multiple databases, with independent screening by two reviewers.

Main Results:

• Quality of care indicators are essential for identifying areas of improvement in hip fracture patient services.
• Synthesized evidence will provide a foundation for developing and implementing effective quality measurement tools.
• Knowledge translation activities will disseminate findings to stakeholders for practical application.

Conclusions:

• Effective quality measurement is vital for optimizing hip fracture care and reducing healthcare system burden.
• The identified indicators will support targeted interventions to enhance patient recovery and outcomes.
• This review provides a critical overview to guide future research and quality improvement initiatives in hip fracture management.