Changes in health‐related quality of life and activities of daily living after hip fracture because of a fall in elderly patients: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: The impact of hip fracture because of a fall on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and activities of daily living (ADL) have not been well established. AIM: To evaluate changes in HRQoL and the ability to conduct ADL among patients with hip fracture because of a fall and to compare these changes with patients who did not fall and break a hip, adjusting by gender and age. METHODS: Adults aged 65 or more who attended the emergency departments of seven public hospitals were recruited in a prospective double-cohort study (fracture cohort, n = 776; non-fracture cohort, n = 115). ADL and HRQoL were assessed at baseline (during the postfall hospitalisation or by telephone afterwards) and 6 months later using the Barthel Index and the Lawton Brody Index for ADL, and the Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index short form (WOMAC-SF) for HRQoL. RESULTS: Adjusting by gender, age and baseline status, a hip fracture was a strong predictor of decline in all outcomes measured except for mental quality of life among men (measured by SF-12). Hip fracture patients younger than 74 years reported significantly more pain (measured by WOMAC-SF) than the comparison group (p = 0.02), but this difference was not observed among older patients (p = 0.19 for 75-84 years; p = 0.39 for ≥ 85 years). DISCUSSION: Hip fractures have profound effects on HRQoL and ADL in both men and women, regardless of age. This indicates the need for special follow-up care of elderly hip fracture patients in the immediate and late postfracture periods. Language: en