The rehabilitation experience of an elderly female patient following a fractured neck of femur compounded by Clostridium difficile infection

Abstract

One of the most common orthopaedic injuries sustained by elderly women in the UK is a proximal fractured femur, often following a fall. This in itself is of great concern to both patient and caring relatives due to the morbidity and ‘year on’ mortality rates typically reported as 20–35% within one year (Goldacre, M.J., Roberts, S.E., Yates, D., 2007. Mortality after admission to hospital with fractured neck of femur: database study. British Medical Journal, 325, 868–869.). This article follows some of the issues experienced by an elderly female patient following a proximal fractured femur, compounded by the emergence of a Clostridium difficile infection during the rehabilitation period. Based on the events as told by the carer this article relays the frustrations of an elderly female patient who struggles to resume her normal life and the importance of relaying accurate information in care.