Prevention of hip fractures: a nursing imperative

Hip fractures are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among the elderly, and they greatly impact health care costs. Most hip fractures in the elderly are due to osteoporosis. This paper reports the incidence of hip fracture, describes osteoporosis, and discusses the role of bone mass in the development of this disorder. Risk factors for osteoporosis and, specifically osteoporotic hip fracture, are identified. Preventive strategies for osteoporotic hip fracture, including fall prevention, are discussed in detail, and pharmacologic interventions are described. Research evidence indicates that the prevention of hip fracture is realistic, and most of the intervention strategies fall directly in the realm of nursing.