Based on the data from the Health Ministry’s Epidemiological Survey Office, 84.188 Hip fractures were recorded in Italy (from DRG), in 2001 in patients over 50 years of age. They underwent many different types of treatment, but up to now no analyses on the medical outcomes are available for these patients. This means that it is not possible to state a reliable social cost and a right strategy for treatment. The need for creating a National Register for Hip fractures to collect data from different areas and to create the basis for standardized national care has been documented from Swedish Register (started in 1979), and from SAHFE European search (1998–2000). In Italy an attempt to start a national Register was done in 2001 with leading hospitals that represent each part of the country Veneto (Padova) and Liguria (Genova) for the North, Emilia Romagna (Parma) for the Centre, and Campania (Napoli), and Basilicata (Matera) for the South. The results are presented, and it appears clear that Hip fracture are one of the most important causes of death (20% in the first 6 months after fracture) and disability among older people (33% do not return to pre-fracture physical functioning). The incidence rate of hip fractures is about 1.4 fracture/1.000 inhabitans/year, and ranges from 6.5–7.5/1.000 individuals aged over 65. This study looked at different parameters at recruitment like: pre-fracture social and health conditions, ASA grade, type of fracture, type of operation, waiting time between hospital arrival and operation, length of hospital stay, inpatients’ mortality, if discharged back home or to nursing home or rehabilitation centers. At 6 month after discharge, a follow-up for assessing the health and social conditions was performed and the results will be presented. Data analysis was carried out using SAS package. (SAS/STAT User’s guide, vol 1–2; version 6, fourth edition 1994. SAS Institute Inc.)

Hip Fracture Registry Working Group: A Del Puente (Napoli), R. Laforgia (Matera), E. Palummeri (Genova), P.P. Benetollo (Schio) R. Rozzini (Brescia), M.L. Brandi (Firenze)