Barriers and facilitators to early mobilisation and weight-bearing as tolerated after hip fracture surgery among older adults in Saudi Arabia: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the practice of prescribing and implementing early mobilisation and weight-bearing as tolerated after hip fracture surgery in older adults and identify barriers and facilitators to their implementation. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 healthcare providers (10 orthopaedic surgeons and 10 physiotherapists) from Saudi Arabian government hospitals. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: While early mobilisation and weight-bearing as tolerated were viewed as important by most participants, they highlighted barriers to the implementation of these practices. Most participants advocated for mobility within 48 h of surgery, aligning with international guidance; however, the implementation of weight-bearing as tolerated was varied. Some participants stressed the type of surgery undertaken as a key factor in weight-bearing prescription. For others, local protocols or clinician preference was seen as most important, the latter partially influenced by where they were trained. Interdisciplinary collaboration between orthopaedic surgeons and physiotherapists was seen as a crucial part of postoperative care and weight-bearing. Patient and family member buy-in was also noted as a key factor, as fear of further injury can impact a patient's adherence to weight-bearing prescriptions. Participants noted a lack of standardised postoperative protocols and the need for routine patient audits to better understand current practices and outcomes. CONCLUSION: This study contributes to national and global discussions on the prescription of early mobilisation and weight-bearing as tolerated. It highlights the necessity for a harmonised approach, incorporating standardised, evidence-based protocols with patient-specific care, robust healthcare governance and routine audits and monitoring for quality assurance and better patient outcomes.

Factors associated with concerns about falling and activity restriction in older adults after hip fracture: a mixed-methods systematic review.

PURPOSE: To investigate factors contributing to concerns about falling and activity restriction in the community among older adults who had a hip fracture. METHODS: A mixed method systematic review with a convergent segregated approach. We searched Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, PEDRo, CINAHL and the Cochrane library. Results were synthesised narratively considering physical, psychological, environmental, care, and social factors and presented in tables. Critical appraisal was completed in duplicate. RESULTS: We included 19 studies (9 qualitative, 9 observational, 1 mixed methods) representing 1480 individuals and 23 factors related to concerns about falling and activity restriction. Physical factors included falls history, comorbidities, balance, strength, mobility and functionality. Psychological factors included anxiety and neuroticism scores, perceived confidence in/control over rehabilitation and abilities, and negative/positive affect about the orthopaedic trauma, pre-fracture abilities and future needs. Environmental factors included accessibility in the home, outdoors and with transport. Social and care factors related to the presence or absence of formal and informal networks, which reduced concerns and promoted activity by providing feedback, advice, encouragement, and practical support. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight that to improve concerns about falling and activity restriction after hip fracture, it is important to: improve physical and functional abilities; boost self-confidence; promote positive affect; involve relatives and carers; increase access to clinicians, and; enhance accessibility of the home, outdoors and transport. Most factors were reported on by a small number of studies of varying quality and require replication in future research.

The relationship between extent of mobilisation within the first postoperative day and 30-day mortality after hip fracture surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between the extent of mobilisation within the first postoperative day and 30-day mortality after hip fracture. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: Acute orthopaedic hospital ward. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive sample of 701 patients, 65 years of age or older, 80% from own home, 49% with a trochanteric fracture, and 61% with an American Society of Anesthesiology grade > 2. INTERVENTION: n/a. MAIN MEASURES: Cumulated ambulation score (CAS) (0-6 points) on the first postoperative day and 30-day postoperative mortality. A CAS = 0 reflects no functional mobility (bedridden), while a CAS = 6 reflects independent out-of-bed-transfer, chair-stand, and indoor walking status. RESULTS: Overall, 86% of patients were mobilised to standing or seated in chair (CAS ≥ 1) on the first postoperative day. A CAS of 0, 1-3, and 4-6 was observed for 97 (14%), 519 (74%), and 85 (12%) patients, respectively. Overall, 61 (8.7%) patients died within 30 days with the highest mortality (23.7%, n = 23) seen for those not mobilised (CAS = 0). Only one patient (1.2%) with a CAS of 4-6 points died. Cox regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, residential status, pre-fracture CAS, fracture type, and American Society of Anesthesiology grade, showed that a one-unit increase in CAS was associated with a 38% lower risk of 30-day mortality (Hazard Ratio = 0.63, 95%Confidence Interval, 0.50-0.78). CONCLUSION: Mobility on the first postoperative day was associated with 30-day postoperative mortality, with a lower risk observed for those completing greater mobility. National registries may consider extending collection of mobility on the first postoperative day from a binary indicator to the CAS which captures the extent of mobility achieved.

Stroke Survivor's Satisfaction and Experience with Rehabilitation Services: A Qualitative Systematic Review.

Research in healthcare is increasingly focused on quality assurance and continuous quality improvement aiming to promote service quality. Satisfaction is a key endpoint in outcomes research and service benchmarking, along with "traditional" clinical outcomes. What controls stroke survivors' satisfaction differs among qualitative studies' conclusions, but there is general consensus on the importance of communication, improvement in activity, and engagement in goal setting. This review aims to collect and synthesise studies of the satisfaction of stroke survivors with rehabilitation services. A systematic search was conducted in seven electronic databases, including CINAHL, OVID, Pedro, Scopus Midline, Web of Science, and PubMed. The database search yielded 1339 studies, while one additional work was identified through hand searching. After removing duplicates, 74 studies were read in full, and after resultant exclusions, 12 qualitative studies were systematically reviewed, extracted, and appraised by two reviewers independently (HAS and RT) and the third reviewer (CS) was available for any disagreement. Five analytical themes were identified: Healthcare Professional-Patient Relationship (HCP), Delivery Service, Perceived Patient Autonomy (PPA), Expectations Shape Satisfaction, and Culture Influences Satisfaction. The studies of survivors' satisfaction, experiences, and their rehabilitative needs with the services they receive have provided different factors that influence their satisfaction during rehabilitation in different countries worldwide. However, the context in which the studies were conducted is quite limited, and more detailed studies are required for many underexplored contexts.