Hip fracture is the most common serious injury in older adults, affecting over 80,000 people in the UK every year. The loss of mobility, function, and independence after a hip fracture means that many people need additional support. This varies between individuals but typically involves a combination of formal paid care, informal care from family and friends, and changes to the home environment.
While the cost of medical care, including hospital admission, surgery, and treatment of complications is well reported, the wider economic impact is less well understood. In particular, the cost of social care after discharge from hospital is poorly quantified. As a result, the true financial cost of treating and rehabilitating people with hip fractures is likely to be significantly underestimated.
This new UK study provides the most comprehensive evidence to date that social care represents a major, and often hidden, component of the overall burden of hip fracture. The study, published in Age & Ageing, aimed to examine the use and cost of social care after hip fracture and to assess how these costs differ for patients who developed complications following surgery.
Using data from the World Hip Trauma Evaluation (WHiTE) study, 16,679 patients aged 60 years and over, who underwent surgery for hip fracture were followed for four months. Social care use during the first four months after injury was compared with patients' care needs before their fracture. Social care costs included changes in residential status (such as moving into residential or nursing care), formal home care, informal care from family or friends, and home adaptations.