Each year about 18000 persons in Sweden suffer from a hip fracture. These people are often among the oldest and have many complicating diseases. The one-year mortality after hip fracture is 20%. Due to the complexity including many comorbidities in these patients, it is of great value that the care of these patients is optimal.~Today, most of the patients with suspected hip fracture in the catchment area of Sahlgrenska University hospital, Gothenburg, are transported directly to the radiology unit. Thereafter, the patient waits in the emergency room (ER) for an othopedic examination before being admitted to primarily a geriatric medicine ward where they wait for the operation. The average waiting time in the ER is today around four hours. The current scientific evidence for fast-tracking hipfracture patients is limited. The aim of our randomized controlled trial is to determine the effect of fast-tracking hip fracture patients at geraitric medicine wards compared to standard care regarding complication rate (primary endpoint), lenght of hospital stay and time to operation (secondary outcomes).
The purpose of this study is to determine whether fast-tracking hip fracture patients to geriatric medicine wards, as opposed to standard care at the emergency room, results in less complications and shorter hospitalization for the patients.