Effects of a hospitalist model on elderly patients with hip fracture.
BACKGROUND
Hospitalists' increased role in perioperative medicine allows for examination of their effects on surgical patients. This study examined the effects of a hospitalist service created to medically manage elderly patients with hip fracture.


METHODS
During a 2-year historical cohort study of 466 patients 65 years or older admitted for surgical repair of hip fracture, we examined outcomes 1 year prior to and subsequent to the change from the standard to the hospitalist model.


RESULTS
The mean (SD) time to surgery (38 [47] vs 25 [53] hours; P<.001), time from surgery to dismissal (9 [8] vs 7 [5] days; P = .04), and length of stay (10.6 [9] vs 8.4 [6] days; P<.001) were shorter in the hospitalist group. Predictors of shorter time to surgery were care by the hospitalist group (P = .002), older age (P = .01), and fall as the mechanism of fracture (P<.001), while American Society of Anesthesia scores of 3 and 4 were associated with increased time to surgery (P<.001). Receiving care by the hospitalist group (P<.001) and diagnosis of delirium (P<.001) were associated with increased chance of earlier dismissal, while admission to the intensive care unit decreased this chance (P<.001). Diagnosis of delirium was more frequent in the hospitalist group (74 [32.2%] of 230 vs 42 [17.8%] of 236; P<.001). There were no differences in inpatient deaths or 30-day readmission rates.


CONCLUSIONS
In elderly patients with hip fracture, a hospitalist model decreased time to surgery, time from surgery to dismissal, and length of stay without adversely affecting inpatient deaths or 30-day readmission rates.
Phy
Michael P
MP
Hospital Internal Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55906, USA.
Vanness
David J
DJ
Melton
L Joseph
LJ
Long
Kirsten Hall
KH
Schleck
Cathy D
CD
Larson
Dirk R
DR
Huddleston
Paul M
PM
Huddleston
Jeanne M
JM
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D020445:Hospitalists; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D019990:Perioperative Care; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors