Patient participation in care after hip fracture surgery: A systematic review

Introduction: Hip fractures constitute a painful and unpleasant situation which is more common in the elderly population. The relevant literature revealed that the management of the care of patients with hip fracture remains a major concern for the global scientific community, as it is related with a variety of socio-economic and psychosocial consequences. The purpose of this systematic review was the investigation of patient participation in their care after a hip fracture surgery. Methods: The search strategy of the literature was conducted in the data bases Pubmed/Medline, Scopus, Science Direct and Google Scholar. Results: The main issues the patients faced and prohibit their participation in the rehabilitation phase were pain, fear of a new fall, postoperative complications, negative emotions, ineffective cooperation with staff, unrealistic expectations and difficulty in accessing a physiotherapist. On the contrary, positive attitude and support of the health professionals, community care services, adequate information, positive patient disposition, daily exercise and access to a physiotherapist were factors that facilitated the care rehabilitation, as well as the process of their participation. Conclusions: Emphasis should be placed on active involvement of the patients in their care, as there is evidence that it is correlated with a positive effect on health outcomes during rehabilitation. These findings could be used to encourage greater participation according to patients’ preferences and needs, while highlight the need for changes in health care organizations and for further research.