The effect of a multidisciplinary approach on geriatric hip fractures in Japan

This study aimed to report results of the multidisciplinary treatment approach for geriatric hip fractures and evaluate its effectiveness compared with conventional treatment. Patients aged 65 years and older who presented with a hip fracture at our hospital on or after 2014 were treated according to a multidisciplinary approach.

Two groups of patients with hip fracture were compared. Group I (n = 364) was treated according to the new multidisciplinary approach in 2014-2016, and Group II (n = 105) which received conventional treatment in 2012. Time to surgery, length of hospital stay, postoperative complications, osteoporosis treatment, functional recovery, in-hospital mortality, 90-day mortality, and 1-year mortality were evaluated. The medical costs of multidisciplinary treatment were compared with those in other hospitals every year.

There were no significant differences in the time to surgery between Group I and Group II, but each was considerably shorter than the average time in other Japanese hospitals. The length of hospital stay was longer in Group I. The overall postoperative complication rate was lower in Group I, but there was no significant difference for each individual complication. The rate of anti-osteoporosis pharmacotherapy administration at the time of discharge was significantly higher in Group I. Moreover, the proportion of patients who recovered to their pre-injury functional level was significantly higher in Group I. The mortality rates did not significantly differ year on year. The total hospitalization medical cost per patient for the multidisciplinary treatment was lower than other hospital costs every year.

Multidisciplinary treatment produced no significant improvement in time to surgery, length of hospital stay, or postoperative complications. However, the use of the multidisciplinary treatment approach led to a significant increase in osteoporosis treatment rate and better functional recovery. Furthermore, the total medical costs for multidisciplinary treatment were lower than the acute care hospital costs.