title: Coping with the epidemic. The impact of proximal femoral fractures upon the acute orthopaedic services in northeast Scotland.
abstract: Increasing health care costs and an aging population have made hip fractures one of the most pressing concerns for developed nations in the latter half of the twentieth century. Using data collected in 1970 and in 1993, the extent of the hip fracture problem in the northeast of Scotland is assessed. The results demonstrate a 101% increase in the number of patients admitted with hip fractures, and an increase in the proportion of patients aged 75 years and over by 158%. Although there has been no change in the number of acute orthopaedic beds in the region, the increase in patient numbers have been managed by approximately halving the in-patient stay through the provision of rural convalescent/rehabilitation beds. Through this approach considerable savings can be made by the health service without reducing the standard of care that is required by the elderly patient later in the post-operative period. In addition, this approach will help focus local community services upon the long-term placement of the patient, in keeping with current government policy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Postgraduate Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Scotland.
authors.forename: F H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: French
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Johnstone
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dougall
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006757:Hospital Units; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology