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The management of elderly patients with femoral fractures. A randomised controlled trial of early intervention versus standard care
Swanson CE, Day GA, Yelland CE, Broome JR, Massey L, Richardson HR, Dimitri K, Marsh A
The Medical Journal of Australia 1998 Nov;169(10):515-518
clinical trial
6/10 [Eligibility criteria: Yes; Random allocation: Yes; Concealed allocation: No; Baseline comparability: Yes; Blind subjects: No; Blind therapists: No; Blind assessors: No; Adequate follow-up: Yes; Intention-to-treat analysis: Yes; Between-group comparisons: Yes; Point estimates and variability: Yes. Note: Eligibility criteria item does not contribute to total score] *This score has been confirmed*

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of an early intervention program in an acute care setting on the length of stay in hospital of elderly patients with proximal femoral fractures. SETTING: Acute orthopaedic ward of a large teaching hospital. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: A randomised controlled trial comparing 38 Intervention patients with 33 Standard Care patients. INTERVENTION: Early surgery, minimal narcotic analgesia, intense daily therapy and close monitoring of patient needs via a multidisciplinary approach versus routine hospital management. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Length of stay (LOS); deaths; level of independent functioning. RESULTS: Mean LOS was shorter in the Intervention group than in the Standard Care group (21 days versus 32.5 days; p < 0.01). After adjusting for other factors that could affect LOS (eg, age, sex, pre-trauma functional levels, pre-trauma comorbidity and postsurgical complications), the Intervention program was significantly predictive of shorter LOS (p = 0.01). The Intervention group did not experience greater numbers of deaths, deterioration in function or need for social support than the Standard Care group. CONCLUSION: This early intervention program in an acute care setting results in significantly shorter length of hospital stay for elderly patients with femoral fractures.

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