Rehabilitation Practitioners' Prioritized Care Processes in Hip Fracture Post-Acute Care

Occupational and physical therapy in post-acute care (PAC) has reached the point where quality indicators for hip fracture are needed. This study characterizes the practitioners' prioritized hip fracture rehabilitation practices, which can guide future quality improvement initiatives.

Ninety-two practitioners participating in a parent mixed methods study were asked to rank a series of evidence-based best practices across five clinical domains (assessment, intervention, discharge planning, caregiver training and patient education).

Prioritized practices reflected patient-practitioner collaboration, facilitating an effective discharge, and preventing adverse events. The highest endorsed care processes include: developing meaningful goals with patient input (84%) in assessment, using assistive devices in intervention (75%) and patient education (65%), engaging the patient and caregiver (50%) in discharge planning, and fall prevention (60%) in caregiver education.

Practitioners identified key care priorities. This study lays the foundation for future work evaluating the extent to which these practices are delivered in PAC.