International benchmarking of 500 admissions with a fractured hip in Australia using the Standard Audit of Hip Fractures in Europe and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network

Abstract

The aim of this study was to audit our management of hip fracture and to compare the results with the Scottish Hip Fracture Audits of both 2004 and 2006. We present data utilising a subset of the SAHFE proforma on 500 consecutive admissions to Redcliffe Hospital with a fractured hip, a review of progress at four months post-operatively and a comparison of outcomes in orthopaedic units in Scottish hospitals. We outline how the audit helped us to detect long emergency department door-to-operating theatre times plus a high re-operation rate and subsequently identify the steps required to improve the quality of care and clinical governance of patients sustaining a hip fracture.