Management of hip fractures in nursing home patients: to treat or not to treat?
Nursing home patients who sustain hip fractures have a much higher than average complication rate after surgical repair, and few ever walk again. Operation is not necessary to ensure the patient's survival in the postfracture period. The majority of these patients are better off managed without surgery. For patients with little or no chance to walk again, a nonsurgical treatment regimen in the nursing home is safer, more humane, and far less expensive than hospitalization.
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000191:economics / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008124:Locomotion; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011379:Prognosis