Trajectories and prognostic factors for recovery after hip fracture: a longitudinal cohort study

The aim of this study was to determine recovery trajectories and prognostic factors for poor recovery in frail and non-frail patients after hip fracture.

Patients with a hip fracture aged 65 years and older admitted to a hospital in the Netherlands from August 2015 to November 2016 were asked to complete questionnaires at one week and one, three, six, 12, and 24 months after injury. The questionnaires included the ICEpop CAPability measure for older people, Health Utility Index, and the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale. Latent class trajectory analysis was used to determine trajectories of recovery. Patient and injury characteristics for favourable and unfavourable outcome were compared with logistic regression.

In total, 696 patients were included of which 367 (53%) patients were frail. Overall, recovery trajectories in frail patients were worse compared to trajectories in non-frail patients. In frail patients, poor recovery was significantly associated with dementia. Lower age was a prognostic factor for good recovery. Immobility, loneliness and weight loss were prognostic for respectively poor capability and symptoms of anxiety and depression. In non-frail patients, recovery after hip fracture was associated with loneliness and the type of hip fracture.

Although frailty is associated with poor recovery in older patients with hip fracture, a large proportion of frail patients show good recovery. Loneliness determines poor recovery with anxiety and depressive symptoms.

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02508675 (July 27, 2015).