Hip displacements and correctable scoliosis were prevalent in children with cerebral palsy registered in a Danish follow-up programme from 2010 to 2020.

AIM: We need a better understanding of non-surgical interventions for hip dislocations and scoliosis. This study estimated the cumulative incidence of problems among children with cerebral palsy and described the type and frequency of therapist-led interventions. METHODS: The study comprised 1482 children (58% male) aged 0-15 years, with a mean age of 3.6 years, who were registered in the Danish Cerebral Palsy Follow-up Programme from 2010 to 2020. We used the Kaplan-Meier estimator to examine the cumulative incidence of hip displacement, hip dislocation, correctable scoliosis and non-correctable scoliosis. The type and frequency of therapist-led interventions are reported descriptively. RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of hip displacement and hip dislocation were 15.8% and 3.5%, respectively, and 39.0% and 13.9% for correctable and non-correctable scoliosis. The most frequently reported type of therapist-led intervention was a joint range of motion exercise. We found that 60.5% with hip displacements and 43.8% with correctable scoliosis used a standing aid. A further 5.4% used a spinal orthosis to prevent deformity and 8.1% for stabilisation. CONCLUSION: Hip displacement and correctable scoliosis were prevalent in children with cerebral palsy, whereas the occurrence of hip dislocations and non-correctable scoliosis was low. The use of assistive aids was low.

Using Explainable Artificial Intelligence to Predict Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations: A Population-Based Cohort Study in Denmark.

BACKGROUND: The increasing aging population and limited health care resources have placed new demands on the healthcare sector. Reducing the number of hospitalizations has become a political priority in many countries, and special focus has been directed at potentially preventable hospitalizations. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) prediction model for potentially preventable hospitalizations in the coming year, and to apply explainable AI to identify predictors of hospitalization and their interaction. METHODS: We used the Danish CROSS-TRACKS cohort and included citizens in 2016-2017. We predicted potentially preventable hospitalizations within the following year using the citizens' sociodemographic characteristics, clinical characteristics, and health care utilization as predictors. Extreme gradient boosting was used to predict potentially preventable hospitalizations with Shapley additive explanations values serving to explain the impact of each predictor. We reported the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, the area under the precision-recall curve, and 95% confidence intervals (CI) based on five-fold cross-validation. RESULTS: The best performing prediction model showed an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.789 (CI: 0.782-0.795) and an area under the precision-recall curve of 0.232 (CI: 0.219-0.246). The predictors with the highest impact on the prediction model were age, prescription drugs for obstructive airway diseases, antibiotics, and use of municipality services. We found an interaction between age and use of municipality services, suggesting that citizens aged 75+ years receiving municipality services had a lower risk of potentially preventable hospitalization. CONCLUSION: AI is suitable for predicting potentially preventable hospitalizations. The municipality-based health services seem to have a preventive effect on potentially preventable hospitalizations.

Nursing representatives in clinical quality databases and the presence of nursing-sensitive indicators of fundamental nursing care.

AIM: To identify and describe nursing-sensitive indicators in Danish clinical quality databases and to examine the association between nurse representation on database steering committees and the presence of indicators related to aspects of fundamental care. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study. The STROBE checklist was employed to ensure reporting quality. METHODS: We reviewed data from the latest annual report of 71 clinical quality databases in April 2021. Aspects of fundamental care were defined as the 12 nursing domains defined in the Danish Minimum Nursing Data framework. For each database, we recorded the number and type of indicators and identified indicators measuring fundamental care aspects. We used the prevalence ratio to estimate the likelihood of indicators related to aspects of fundamental care in databases with nurse representation on the steering committee. RESULTS: One-third of the databases included indicators related to aspects of fundamental care. The most common aspects were Respiration and circulation, Nutrition and Psychosocial conditions, whereas Skin and mucous membranes, Elimination and Pain were rarely measured. Nurse representation on the steering committee of a quality database increased the likelihood of having indicators related to aspects of fundamental care three-fold (prevalence ratio 3.25). CONCLUSION: Fundamental care was rarely monitored in Danish clinical quality databases, but databases with nurse representation on the steering committee had a higher likelihood of monitoring fundamental care. IMPACT: This study addressed the knowledge gap of how fundamental nursing care is measured in clinical quality databases. It introduces nurses to the measurement of fundamental care as a first step toward performing nursing intervention studies and investigating associations with patient outcomes. The increased likelihood of fundamental care monitoring in clinical databases with nurse representation on the steering committee indicates a feasible way for decision makers and nurse leaders to ensure a stronger focus on fundamental care to the patients' benefit.

Patient-reported outcomes as hospital performance measures: the challenge of confounding and how to handle it.

It is highly appealing to use patient-reported outcomes (PROs) as hospital performance measures; however, so far, the attention to key methodological issues has been limited. One of the most critical challenges when comparing PRO-based performance measures across providers is to rule out confounding. In this paper, we explain confounding and why it matters when comparing across providers. Using examples from studies, we present potential strategies for dealing with confounding when using PRO data at an aggregated level. We aim to give clinicians an overview of how confounding can be addressed in both the design stage (restriction, matching, self-controlled design and propensity score) and the analysis stage (stratification, standardization and multivariable adjustment, including multilevel analysis) of a study. We also briefly discuss strategies for confounding control when data on important confounders are missing or unavailable.

Ankle contractures are frequent among children with cerebral palsy and associated with lower gross motor function and degree of spasticity.

AIM: To estimate yearly prevalence of ankle contractures among children with cerebral palsy (CP). Moreover, to investigate whether age, gross motor function or spasticity are associated with ankle contracture. METHODS: We examined yearly prevalence of ankle contractures among 933 children based on data from a national clinical quality database from 2012 to 2019. We used the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) to assess gross motor function and spasticity in the plantar flexors. Ankle contracture was defined as dorsiflexion with an extended knee equal to or below 0 degrees. Associations between age, GMFCS, spasticity and ankle contractures were analysed using multivariable regression and presented as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). RESULTS: The prevalence of ankle contracture was 32% and did not change with calendar year. GMFCS IV-V compared to I-III (40.6% vs. 28.9%, OR = 1.5 (95%CI: 1.07-2.11) and MAS 2-4 compared to 0 (44.6% vs. 24.4%, OR = 2.5 (95%CI: 1.59-3.91) were associated with a higher prevalence of ankle contracture. Age was not associated with ankle contracture. CONCLUSION: Ankle contractures are frequent among children with CP. Lower gross motor function and severe spasticity were associated with ankle contracture.

Hospital variation in the risk of infection after hip fracture surgery: a population-based cohort study including 29,598 patients from 2012-2017.

Background and purpose - Understanding the key drivers of hospital variation in postoperative infections after hip fracture surgery is important for directing quality improvements. Therefore, we investigated variation in the risk of any infection, and subgroups of infections including pneumonia and sepsis after hip fracture surgery.Methods - In this nationwide population-based cohort study, all Danish patients aged ≥ 65 undergoing surgery for an incident hip fracture from 2012 to 2017 were included. Risk of postoperative infections, based on data from hospital registration (hospital-treated infections) and antibiotic dispensing (community-treated infections), were calculated using multilevel Poisson regression analysis. Hospital variation was evaluated by intra-class coefficient (ICC) and median risk ratio (MRR).Results - The risk of hospital-treated infection was 15%. The risk of community-treated infection was 24%. The adjusted risk varied between hospitals from 7.8-25% for hospital-treated infection and 16-34% for community-treated infection. The ICC indicated that 19% of the adjusted variance was due to hospital level for hospital-treated infection. The ICC for community-treated infections was 13%. The MRR showed a 2-fold increased risk for the average patient acquiring a hospital-treated infection at the highest risk hospital compared with the lowest risk hospital. For community-treated infection, the MRR was 1.4.Interpretation - Our results suggest that 20% of infections could be reduced by applying the top performing hospitals' approach. Nearly a 5th of the variation was at the hospital level. This suggests a more standardized approach to avoid postoperative infection after hip fracture surgery.Hip fracture is a leading cause of hospital admission among the elderly. The 30-day mortality following hip fracture surgery has been approximately 10% during the last few years in Denmark (Pedersen et al. 2017). Higher mortality after hip fracture has been associated with a range of hospital factors (Kristensen et al. 2016, Sheehan et al. 2016) and patient factors in observational studies (Roche et al. 2005). Furthermore, variation in 30-day mortality after hip fracture surgery has been observed between Danish hospitals, but not fully explained (Kristensen et al. 2019).

Decreasing trends, and geographical variation in outpatient antibiotic use: a population-based study in Central Denmark.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial overuse and misuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics increases the risk for antimicrobial resistance. Investigating unwarranted variation in antibiotic prescription has therefore gained global priority. METHODS: We examined recent time trends in the utilization of narrow- and broad-spectrum antibiotics as well as the variation in antibiotic use by sex, age, and municipality of residence. Complete individual-level data on all redeemed out-of hospital prescriptions for antibiotics in the entire adult population of Central Denmark (1.3 million inhabitants) was obtained for the period 2006-2015. RESULTS: Following an initial increase of 2% between 2006 and 2011, the overall rate of redeemed prescriptions for antibiotics per 1000 person years declined by 17% between 2011 and 2015. Among persons aged over 65 years, the decline in use began later (from 2013) and was less pronounced. Antibiotic use in 2015 remained substantially higher among females (289/1000 person-years) vs. males (182/1000 person-years) and among the very old (520/1000 person-years in >85y old) vs. middle-aged (204/1000 person-years in 45-65y old). A decreasing trend in antibiotic use over time was observed in all municipalities, mainly due to a decrease in narrow-spectrum antibiotics. However, a striking and unexplained 1.6-fold geographical variation in antibiotic use, including tetracyclines, macrolides and fluoroquinolones remained in 2015. Of concern, among females aged ≥65 years and males aged ≥85 years, a continuous increasing trend in broad-spectrum antibiotic use was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotic use has decreased almost 20% in Central Denmark after 2011, possibly related to a nationwide antibiotic stewardship program in Denmark. However, substantial geographical variation in antibiotic prescription remains and the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics has increased in adults of older age. Continuous focus on avoiding unnecessary use of broad-spectrum antibiotics is requested.

High quality of care did not imply increased hospital spending- nationwide cohort study among hip fracture patients.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether fulfilment of process performance measures reflecting national guidelines is associated with in-hospital costs among hip fracture patients. DESIGN: Nationwide, population-based follow-up study. SETTING: Public hospitals in Denmark. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 20 458 patients 65 years or older admitted with a hip fracture between 2010 and 2013. INTERVENTION: Quality of care defined as fulfilment of process performance measures reflecting recommendations from national clinical guidelines, which previously have been shown to be associated with lower mortality and readmission risk. The measures included systematic pain assessment; mobilisation within 24 h post-operatively; assessment of basic mobility before admission and discharge; and receiving a rehabilitation programme before discharge, anti-osteoporotic medication and fall prevention. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Total costs defined as the sum of hospital costs used for treating the individual patients according to the Danish Reference Cost Database. RESULTS: Within the index admission, fulfilling 50 to >75% of the performance measures was associated with lower adjusted costs (EUR 2643) than was fulfilling 0-50% of these measures (EUR 3544). The lower costs were mainly due to savings on further treatment and fewer bed days. Mobilisation within 24 h after surgery and assessment for need of anti-osteoporotic medication were associated with the largest cost differences, corresponding to adjusted cost differences of EUR 3030 and EUR 3538, respectively. The cost difference was lower when all costs related to hospitalisation within the first year were considered. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that high quality of care does not imply higher hospital spending and may be associated with cost savings.

Is the higher mortality among men with hip fracture explained by sex-related differences in quality of in-hospital care? A population-based cohort study.

Background: mortality after hip fracture is two-fold higher in men compared with women. It is unknown whether sex-related differences in the quality of in-hospital care contribute to the higher mortality among men. Objective: to examine sex-related differences in quality of in-hospital care, 30-day mortality, length of hospital stay and readmission among patients with hip fracture. Design: population-based cohort study. Measures: using prospectively collected data from the Danish Multidisciplinary Hip Fracture Registry, we identified 25,354 patients ≥65 years (29% were men). Outcome measures included quality of in-hospital care as reflected by seven process performance measures, 30-day mortality, length of stay (LOS) and readmission within 30 days after discharge. Data were analysed using multivariable regression techniques. Results: in general, there were no substantial sex-related differences in quality of in-hospital care. The relative risk for receiving the individual process performance measure ranged from 0.91 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.85-0.97) to 0.97 (95% CI 0.94-0.99) for men compared with women. The 30-day mortality was 15.9% for men and 9.3% for women corresponding to an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 2.30 (95% CI 2.09-2.54). The overall readmission risk within 30 days after discharge was 21.6% for men and 16.4% for women (adjusted OR of 1.38 (95% CI 1.29-1.47)). No difference in LOS was observed between men and women. Conclusions: sex differences in the quality of in-hospital care appeared not to explain the higher mortality and risk of readmission among men hospitalised with hip fracture.

Can improved quality of care explain the success of orthogeriatric units? A population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: admission to orthogeriatric units improves clinical outcomes for patients with hip fracture; however, little is known about the underlying mechanisms. OBJECTIVE: to compare quality of in-hospital care, 30-day mortality, time to surgery (TTS) and length of hospital stay (LOS) among patients with hip fracture admitted to orthogeriatric and ordinary orthopaedic units, respectively. DESIGN: population-based cohort study. MEASURES: using prospectively collected data from the Danish Multidisciplinary Hip Fracture Registry, we identified 11,461 patients aged ≥65 years admitted with a hip fracture between 1 March 2010 and 30 November 2011. The patients were divided into two groups: (i) those treated at an orthogeriatric unit, where the geriatrician is an integrated part of the multidisciplinary team, and (ii) those treated at an ordinary orthopaedic unit, where geriatric or medical consultant service are available on request. Outcome measures were the quality of care as reflected by six process performance measures, 30-day mortality, the TTS and the LOS. Data were analysed using log-binomial, linear and logistic regression controlling for potential confounders. RESULTS: admittance to orthogeriatric units was associated with a higher chance for fulfilling five out of six process performance measures. Patients who were admitted to an orthogeriatric unit experienced a lower 30-day mortality (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.69; 95% CI 0.54-0.88), whereas the LOS (adjusted relative time (aRT) of 1.18; 95% CI 0.92-1.52) and the TTS (aRT 1.06; 95% CI 0.89-1.26) were similar. CONCLUSIONS: admittance to an orthogeriatric unit was associated with improved quality of care and lower 30-day mortality among patients with hip fracture.

Are process performance measures associated with clinical outcomes among patients with hip fractures? A population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between process performance measures and clinical outcome among patients with hip fracture. DESIGN: Nationwide, population-based follow-up study. SETTING: Public Danish hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 25 354 patients 65 years or older who were admitted with a hip fracture in Denmark between 2010 and 2013. INTERVENTION: The process performance measures, including systematic pain assessment, early mobilization, basic mobility assessment at arrival and at discharge, post-discharge rehabilitation program, anti-osteoporotic medication and prevention of future fall accidents measures, were analysed individually as well as an opportunity-based score defined as the proportion of all relevant performance measures fulfilled for the individual patient (0-50%, 50-75% and 75-100%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Thirty-day mortality, 30-day readmission after discharge and length of stay (LOS). RESULTS: Fulfilling 75-100% of the relevant process performance measures was associated with lower 30-day mortality (22.6% vs. 8.5%, adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.31 (95% CI: 0.28-0.35)) and lower odds for readmission (21.7% vs. 17.4%, adjusted OR 0.78 (95% CI: 0.70-0.87)). The overall opportunity score for quality of care was not associated with LOS (adjusted OR 1.00 (95% CI: 0.98-1.04)). Mobilization within 24 h postoperatively was the process with the strongest association with lower 30-day mortality, readmission risk and shorter LOS. CONCLUSIONS: Higher quality of in-hospital care and in particular early mobilization was associated with a better clinical outcome, including lower 30-day mortality, among patients with hip fracture.

Off-hours admission and quality of hip fracture care: a nationwide cohort study of performance measures and 30-day mortality.

OBJECTIVE: Higher risks of adverse outcomes have been reported for patients admitted acutely during off-hours. However, in relation to hip fracture, the evidence is inconsistent. We examined whether time of admission influenced compliance with performance measures, surgical delay and 30-day mortality in patients with hip fracture. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: Data from The Danish Multidisciplinary Hip Fracture Registry linked with data from Danish National Registries. PARTICIPANTS: Danish patients undergoing hip fracture surgery, aged >65 years, admitted 1 March 2010 to 30 November 2013 (N = 25 305). EXPOSURE: Off-hours: weekday evenings and nights, and weekends. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Meeting specific performance measures, surgical delay and mortality. RESULTS: No differences were found in patient characteristics or in meeting performance measures (RRs from 0.99 [95% CI: 0.98-1.01] to 1.01 [95% CI: 0.99-1.02]. When comparing admission on weekdays (evenings and nights vs. days), off-hours admission was associated with a lower risk of surgical delay (adjusted OR 0.75 [95% CI: 0.66-0.85]) while no differences in 30-day mortality was found (adjusted OR 0.91 [95% CI: 0.80-1.04]. When comparing admission during weekends with admission during weekdays, off-hours admission was associated with a higher risk of surgical delay (adjusted OR 1.19 [95% CI: 1.05-1.37]) and a higher 30-day mortality risk (adjusted OR 1.13 [95% CI: 1.04-1.23]. The risk of surgical delay appeared not to explain the excess 30-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Patients admitted off-hours and on-hours received similar quality of care. The risk of surgical delay and 30 days mortality was higher among patients admitted during weekends; explanations need to be clarified.

Local infiltration analgesia is comparable to femoral nerve block after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with hamstring tendon graft: a randomised controlled trial.

PURPOSE: Arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is a painful procedure requiring intensive postoperative pain management. Femoral nerve block is widely used in ACL surgery. However, femoral nerve block does not cover the donor site of the hamstring tendons. Local infiltration analgesia is a simple technique that has proven effective in postoperative pain management after total knee arthroplasty. Further, local infiltration analgesia covers the donor site and is associated with few complications. It was hypothesised that local infiltration analgesia at the donor site and wounds would decrease pain and opioid consumption after ACL reconstruction with hamstring tendon graft. METHODS: Sixty patients undergoing primary ACL surgery with hamstring tendon graft were randomised to receive either local infiltration analgesia or femoral nerve block. Pain was scored on the numeric rating scale, and use of opioid, range of motion and adverse effects were assessed at the postoperative recovery unit (0 h), 3, 24 and 48 h, postoperatively. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the groups in pain intensity or total opioid consumption at any of the follow-up points. Further, there were no differences between groups concerning side effects and range of motion. CONCLUSIONS: Local infiltration analgesia and femoral nerve block are similar in the management of postoperative pain after ACL reconstruction with hamstring tendon graft. Until randomised studies have investigated femoral nerve block combined with infiltration at the donor site, we recommend local infiltration analgesia in ACL reconstruction with hamstring tendon graft.

Characteristics of constipation screening and assessment tools: a scoping review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Constipation is a common and significant burden on individuals and healthcare systems. Accurate assessment of constipation severity and symptom improvement are vital aspects of caring for patients with constipation. Therefore, nurses and allied healthcare professionals should possess knowledge regarding the characteristics of constipation assessment tools (ie, aim, scope, definition of constipation, content, structure, mode, administration time and context of use). However, existing reviews summarising characteristics of tools have been restricted to chronic constipation and self-reported measures. Furthermore, they have not included literature published after 2011. This scoping review aims to identify and comprehensibly map the characteristics of available tools for screening and assessment of constipation in order to manage the nursing care need related to constipation within any healthcare or research context and any patient group. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This review will include primary research articles, methodological papers and clinical guidelines using tools for constipation screening and assessment, pertinent to nursing care management. It is not limited to a specific population or healthcare setting. Databases to be searched include PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, ProQuest, ClinicalKey and Google Scholar. To identify grey literature, national health services in selected countries will be searched. Papers written in English, Nordic language or German will be included. The reviewers will independently review the retrieved citations against the inclusion criteria, and data from included papers will be extracted using a data extraction form developed for this review. The scoping review will be conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute Guidelines. The results will be presented in a table accompanied by a narrative summary. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not required, as no individual patient data are included. Findings will be shared and discussed with relevant stakeholders and disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. The protocol is registered on Open Science Framework (registration number: osf.io/h2vzd).

Systematic review of multivariable prognostic models for outcomes at least 30 days after hip fracture finds 18 mortality models but no nonmortality models warranting validation.

OBJECTIVES: Prognostic models have the potential to aid clinical decision-making after hip fracture. This systematic review aimed to identify, critically appraise, and summarize multivariable prediction models for mortality or other long-term recovery outcomes occurring at least 30 days after hip fracture. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and CINAHL databases were searched up to May 2023. Studies were included that aimed to develop multivariable models to make predictions for individuals at least 30 days after hip fracture. Risk of bias (ROB) was dual-assessed using the Prediction model Risk Of Bias ASsessment Tool. Study and model details were extracted and summarized. RESULTS: From 5571 records, 80 eligible studies were identified. They predicted mortality in n = 55 studies/81 models and nonmortality outcomes (mobility, function, residence, medical, and surgical complications) in n = 30 studies/45 models. Most (n = 46; 58%) studies were published since 2020. A quarter of studies (n = 19; 24%) reported using 'machine-learning methods', while the remainder used logistic regression (n = 54; 68%) and other statistical methods (n = 11; 14%) to build models. Overall, 15 studies (19%) presented 18 low ROB models, all predicting mortality. Common concerns were sample size, missing data handling, inadequate internal validation, and calibration assessment. Many studies with nonmortality outcomes (n = 11; 37%) had clear data complexities that were not correctly modeled. CONCLUSION: This review has comprehensively summarized and appraised multivariable prediction models for long-term outcomes after hip fracture. Only 15 studies of 55 predicting mortality were rated as low ROB, warranting further development of their models. All studies predicting nonmortality outcomes were high or unclear ROB. Careful consideration is required for both the methods used and justification for developing further nonmortality prediction models for this clinical population.

Are hip fracture patients with high or low body mass index at higher risk of missed care? A cohort study.

AIM: To examine whether patients' body mass index is associated with missed hip fracture care consistent with national guideline-recommended care. DESIGN: A nationwide, population-based cohort study using prospectively collected data from the Danish Multidisciplinary Hip Fracture Registry. METHODS: The study population consisted of 39,835 patients ≥65 years admitted with a hip fracture and discharged between 1st of January 2012 and 29th of November 2017. National guideline-recommended care consists of preoperative optimization, early surgery, mobilization within 24 h, basic mobility assessment, nutrition screening, post-discharge rehabilitation program, and osteoporotic and fall prophylaxis. We used binomial regression to estimate the relative risk for the fulfilment of the individual measures with 95% confidence interval. Multiple imputation method was applied to handle missing values of body mass index. RESULTS: The overall fulfilment of the individual measures ranged from 43% for pre-operative optimization to 95% for receiving a post-discharge rehabilitation program. The obese patients had a lower fulfilment of surgery within 36 h compared to patients with normal weight. No differences in fulfilment of the other measures were found. However, patients with missing data on body mass index had the highest risk of missed care. In conclusion, patients with missing BMI values had the highest risk of missed care. The obese patients had a slightly higher risk of long waiting times for surgery than normal-weighted patients. NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: This study was done based on population-based data from medical registries and data was analysed by the authors only.

Current Trends in Comorbidity Prevalence and Associated Mortality in a Population-Based Cohort of Hip Fracture Patients in Denmark.

Background and Purpose: Patients with hip fractures often have comorbidities, but detailed data on comorbidity and its impact on prognosis are lacking. We described the current trends in the prevalence of comorbidity and the magnitude of the associated mortality. Patients and Methods: From the Danish Multidisciplinary Hip Fracture Registry we included 31,443 hip fracture patients (diagnosed in 2014-2018). We calculated the prevalence of individual diseases and comorbidity measured with the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), the Elixhauser Index, and the Rx-Risk Index. We calculated sex and age-adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for 30-day mortality and hazard ratios (aHRS) for one-year mortality with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: The most common diseases identified with the CCI were cerebrovascular diseases (18%), malignancies (17%), chronic pulmonary disease (14%), and dementia (11%). Using the Elixhauser Index, hypertension (37%), cardiac arrhythmias (21%), and fluid and electrolyte disorders (15%) were most prevalent, while ischemic heart disease (42%), hypertension (39%), and use of antiplatelets (37%) were most prevalent when using the Rx-Risk Index. Using the Rx-Risk Index, only 28% of patients had no comorbidity compared to 38% for CCI and 44% for the Elixhauser Index, and the prevalence was stable through the years. Compared to patients with no comorbidity, patients with very severe comorbidity had an aORs for 30-day mortality of 2.6 (CI: 2.4-2.9) using CCI, 2.6 (CI: 2.4-3.1) using the Elixhauser Index, and 3.1 (CI: 2.7-3.4) using the Rx-Risk Index. Interpretation: More than 50% of the patients with hip fractures have moderate to very severe comorbidity, with considerable variation between indices. The prevalence of individual diseases varies considerably. All indices had comparable dose-response associations with mortality. These results are relevant for clinicians to amend prevention and target care, and for researchers to decide which comorbidity measure to use depending on the research question.

Association of anticholinergic drug use with postoperative mortality among patients with hip fracture. A nationwide cohort study.

PURPOSE: Anticholinergic (AC) drugs are associated with various determinantal outcomes. Data regarding the effect of AC drugs on mortality among geriatric hip fracture patients are limited and inconsistent. METHODS: Using Danish health registries, we identified 31,443 patients aged ≥65 years undergoing hip fracture surgery. AC burden was assessed 90 days before surgery by the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) score and number of AC drugs. Logistic and Cox regression producing odds ratios (OR) and hazard ratios (HR) for 30- and 365- day mortality, adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities were computed. RESULTS: AC drugs were redeemed by 42% of patients. The 30-day mortality increased from 7% for patients with ACB score of 0 to 16% for patients with ACB score of ≥5, corresponding to an adjusted OR 2.5 (CI: 2.0-3.1). The equivalent adjusted HR for 365-mortality was 1.9 (CI: 1.6-2.1). Using count of AC drugs as exposure we found a stepwise increase in ORs and HRs with increased number of AC drugs; Compared to non-users, adjusted ORs for 30-days mortality were 1.6 (CI: 1.4-1.7), 1.9 (CI: 1.7-2.1), and 2.3 (CI: 1.9-2.7) for users of 1, 2 and 3+ AC drugs. HRs for 365-day mortality were 1.4 (CI: 1.3-1.5), 1.6 (CI: 1.5-1.7) and 1.8 (CI: 1.7-2.0). CONCLUSION: Use of AC drugs was associated with increased 30-day and 365-day mortality among older adults with hip fracture. Simply counting the number of AC drugs may be a clinically relevant and easy AC risk assessment tool. Continued effort to reduce AC drug-use is relevant.

Prediction Ability of Charlson, Elixhauser, and Rx-Risk Comorbidity Indices for Mortality in Patients with Hip Fracture. A Danish Population-Based Cohort Study from 2014 - 2018.

Objective: Comorbidity has an important role in risk prediction and risk adjustment modelling in observational studies. However, it is unknown which comorbidity index is most accurate to predict mortality in hip fracture patients. We aimed to evaluate the prediction ability, including discrimination and calibration of Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), Elixhauser comorbidity index (ECI) and Rx-risk index for 30 day- and 1 year mortality in a population-based cohort of hip fracture surgery patients. Methods: Using the Danish Multidisciplinary Hip Fracture Registry in the period 2014-2018, 31,443 patients were included. CCI and ECI were based on discharge diagnoses, while Rx-Risk index was based on pharmacy dispensings. We used logistic regression to assess discrimination of the different indices, individually and in combinations, by calculating c-statistics and the contrast in c-statistic to a base model including only age and gender with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: The study cohort were primarily female (69%) and older than 85 years (42%). The 30-day mortality was 10.1% and the 1-year mortality was 26.6%. Age and gender alone had a good discrimination ability for 30-day and 1-year mortality (c-statistic=0.70, CI: 0.69-0.71 and c-statistic=0.68, CI: 0.67 -0.69, respectively). By adding indices individually to the base model, Rx-risk index had the best 30-day and 1-year mortality discrimination ability (c-statistic=0.73, CI: 0.72-0.74 and 0.71 CI: 0.71-0.72, respectively). By adding combination of indices to the base model, a combination of CCI and the Rx-risk index had a 30-day and 1-year mortality discrimination ability of c-statistic=0.74, CI: 0.73-0.75 and c-statistic=0.73, CI: 0.73-0.74, respectively. Calibration of indices was similar. Conclusion: The highest discrimination ability was achieved by combining CCI and Rx-risk index in addition to age and gender. However, age and gender alone had a fair mortality discrimination ability.