OUTCOMES FOLLOWING HIP FRACTURES TREATED IN TEACHING VERSUS COMMUNITY HOSPITALS

Abstract

We compared the mortality of hip fracture patients treated in teaching versus community hospitals in Ontario. Hip fracture patients ≥ 50 yrs were identified from the Canadian Institute for Health Information Hospital Discharge Abstracts Database and linked to the Registered Persons Database for death information. Logistic regression analyses were done to assess the relation between hospital type and both mortality and complications after surgery. Covariates examined include sex, age, Charlson-Deyo index, time to surgery and their interactions. Although patients treated in teaching hospitals have more comorbidities and complications they have lower mortality than those treated in community hospitals.

The purpose of this study was to compare the mortality of hip fracture patients treated in teaching versus urban and rural community hospitals in Ontario.

Although patients treated in teaching hospitals have more comorbidities and complications they have lower mortality than those treated in community hospitals.

This finding will have far-reaching implications for health policy in this province. Hip fracture (ICD-9 code 820) patients ≥ 50 yrs treated in Ontario between 1993 and 1999 were identified from the Canadian Institute for Health Information Hospital Discharge Abstracts Database. These were linked to the Registered Persons Database for death information. Logistic regression analyses were done to assess the relation between hospital type and both mortality and complications after surgery. Covariates examined include sex, age, Charlson-Deyo index, time to surgery and their interactions.

Patients treated in teaching hospitals and rural community hospitals were more likely to have a major complication than those in urban community hospitals, adjusted OR (95% CI) 1.37 (1.29–1.45); 1.28 (1.06–1.55) respectively. Patients in teaching hospitals had more comordities than those in community urban or rural hospitals. Nevertheless, patients treated in teaching hospitals have lower mortality (in hospital, and at three, six and twelve months post-surgery) than those in urban community hospitals, adjusted OR (95% CI) 0.76 (0.60–0.96), 0.90 (0.85–0.96), 0.91 (0.86–0.96), 0.92 (0.88–0.96) respectively. The difference between rural and urban community hospitals was not statistically significant, however there was a trend to higher mortality in rural institutions, adjusted OR (95% CI) 0.79 (0.63–1.00), 1.13 (0.95–1.36), 1.16 (0.98–1.36), 1.13 (0.97–1.32) respectively.