Factors that affect the functional recovery of the independent elderly people with hip fracture

Abstract

Introduction:  The accelerated and unavoidable increase in the older adult population leads us to expect an increase in cases of hip fractures, which poses a challenge for the Costa Rican health system.  The objective of this work was to establish the factors that affect the functional recovery of the independent elderly people with hip fracture. Methods: Descriptive study of bibliographic review of literature from the following databases: Pubmed, Tripdatabase and EBSCO. Twenty-eight full-text scientific articles published between 2011 and 2019, in Spanish or English, were chosen. According to Sackett's classification, 3,5% had a level of evidence 1, 37,7% level 2, 10,7% level 3, 46,4% level 4 and 3,5% level 5.  Results: Previous functional independence in older adults with hip fracture is a good functional prognostic factor. It was observed that the affectation of the activities of daily living occurs both in the basic and instrumental activities, with a greater affectation of the activities that require greater weight and strength of the affected limb, also requiring more time for their recovery. In addition, it was observed that the impact on quality of life related to health occurs in all dimensions, with a greater impact on the physical and functional domain, mobility and activities of daily living, which secondarily brings alterations in the emotional aspect. Conclusions: The recovery of previous functional capacity and quality of life in independent older adults with hip fracture is influenced by multiple factors, hence the importance of an interdisciplinary and early approach that allows planning the best care strategies.