Impact of a Postoperative Intervention Educational Program on the Quality of Life of Patients with Hip Fracture: A Randomized, Open-Label Controlled Trial

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the impact of a postoperative educational intervention program on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with hip fracture using a controlled clinical trial in a randomized, multicenter study. In total, 102 patients (45.5%) from trauma units at the two University Hospitals of the province of Cáceres received the educational program, whereas 122 (54.5%) did not. Patients were consecutively included in either an intervention or a control group. Patients from the intervention group received an educational program during admission and the postoperative period. Patients from the control group did not receive any educational program. These patients were managed according to routine protocols. The patients were predominantly female (76.3%), aged 84.6 years (SD 6.1). All dimensions in both groups at 12 months showed a significant decrease with respect to baseline, except for bodily pain in both groups (p = 0.447; p = 0.827) and social functioning in the intervention group (p = 0.268). Patients receiving the educational program showed higher levels in the dimensions of the Mental Component Summary (MCS-12) (p = 0.043), vitality (p = 0.010), and social functioning (p < 0.001), as well as in the dimensions of the SF-12 health survey questionnaire of HRQoL 12 months after surgery. In conclusion, our study of the intervention group showed that there were significant improvements in MCS-12, vitality, and social function dimensions compared to the control group.