title: Quality of life following hip fractures: results from the Norwegian hip fracture register.
abstract: Patient-reported health-related quality of life is an important outcome measure when assessing the quality of hip fracture surgery. The frequently used EQ-5D index score has unfortunately important limitations. One alternative can be to assess the distribution of each of the five dimensions of the patients' descriptive health profile. The objective of this paper was to investigate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after hip fractures.
  
  
  
  Data from hip fracture operations from 2005 through 2012 were obtained from The Norwegian Hip Fracture Register. Patient reported HRQoL, (EQ-5D-3L) was collected from patients preoperatively and at four and twelve months postoperatively n = 10325. At each follow-up the distribution of the EQ-5D-3L and mean pain VAS was calculated.
  
  
  
  Generally, a higher proportion of patients reported problems in all 5 dimensions of the EQ-5D-3L at all follow-ups compared to preoperative. Also a high proportion of patients with no preoperative problems reported problems after surgery; At 4 and 12 months follow-ups 71 % and 58 % of the patients reported walking problems, and 65 % and 59 % of the patients reported pain respectively. Patients with femoral neck fractures and the youngest patients (age < 70 years) reported least problems both preoperatively and at all follow-ups.
  
  
  
  A hip fracture has a dramatic impact on the patients' HRQoL, and the deterioration in HRQoL sustained also one year after the fracture. Separate use of the descriptive profile of the EQ-5D is informative when assessing quality of life after hip fracture surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Jonas Lies vei 65, N 5021, Bergen, Norway. jan.erik.gjertsen@helse-bergen.no.|Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. jan.erik.gjertsen@helse-bergen.no.
authors.forename: Jan-Erik
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Gjertsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Jonas Lies vei 65, N 5021, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Valborg
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Baste
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Jonas Lies vei 65, N 5021, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Jonas M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Fevang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Jonas Lies vei 65, N 5021, Bergen, Norway.|Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Ove
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Furnes
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Jonas Lies vei 65, N 5021, Bergen, Norway.|Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Lars Birger
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Engesæter
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005265:Femoral Neck Fractures / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005594:Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D062785:Hemiarthroplasty / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011184:Postoperative Period; D057234:Preoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012086:Reoperation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Femoral neck fractures; Health related quality of life; Hip fractures; National results; Orthopaedic surgery