Evaluation of Outcomes of Post Hip-Fracture Patients with Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a debilitating disease that is often undertreated. The purpose of this study is to determine if patients with fragility hip fractures admitted to a small hospital in western Michigan receive the standard of post-fracture osteoporosis-related care as outlined in the “Own the Bone” initiative. The framework used is Roy’s Adaptation Model, because it stresses the importance of a supportive environment to prevent hip fractures caused by osteoporosis. This study is a descriptive retrospective review of electronic medical records of patients that suffered a hip fracture between January and July 2011. A total of 44 post hip fracture patient’s charts were analyzed using frequencies and t-tests in SPSS 19.0. Limitations of this project include: data collection from a single hospital, missing data of patients lost to follow-up, unable to trace patients receiving follow-up care at outside clinics. Results show that only 7% of the patients with critical vitamin D levels were redrawn. Only 20% of patients had any record of a bone density scan. Conclusions show the standard of care for post hip fracture patients is not being met. Health care providers need to be more vigilant about treating osteoporosis in order to prevent hip fractures in the window of opportunity so that patients are not lost to follow up