Barriers to Discharge of Hip Fracture Patients From An Academic Hospital: A Retrospective Data Analysis

Adherence to best practices for care of hip fracture patients is fundamental to decreasing morbidity and mortality in older adults. This includes timely transfer from the hospital to rehabilitation soon after their surgical care. Hospitals experience challenges in implementing several best practices. We examined the potential barriers associated with timely discharge for patients who underwent a hip fracture surgery in an academic hospital in Ontario, Canada. We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional review of a local database. We used descriptive statistics to characterize individuals according to the time of discharge after surgery. Multivariable binary logistic regression was used to evaluate factors associated with delayed discharge (>6 days post-surgery). A total of 492 patients who underwent hip fracture surgery between September 2019 and August 2020 were included in the study. The odds of having a delayed discharge occurred when patients had a higher frailty score (odds ratios [OR] 1.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02;1.38), experienced an episode of delirium (OR 2.54, 95% CI 1.35;4.79), or were non-weightbearing (OR 3.00, 95% CI 1.07;8.43). Patients were less likely to have a delayed discharge when the surgery was on a weekend (OR .50, 95% CI .32;.79) compared to a weekday, patients had a total hip replacement (OR .28, 95% CI .10;.80) or dynamic hip screw fixation (OR .49, 95% CI .25;.98) compared to intramedullary nails, or patients who were discharged to long-term care (OR .05, 95% CI .02;.13), home (OR .26, 95% CI .15;.46), or transferred to another specialty in the hospital (OR .49, 95% CI .29;.84) compared to inpatient rehabilitation. Clinical and organizational factors can operate as potential barriers to timely discharge after hip fracture surgery. Further research is needed to understand how to overcome these barriers and implement strategies to improve best practice for post-surgery hip fracture care.