Open AccessHip Fractures in the Elderly
Author(s) -
Alice Davis
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of trauma nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.368
H-Index - 21
eISSN - 1932-3883
pISSN - 1078-7496
DOI - 10.1097/00043860-199501000-00010
Subject(s) - medicine , injury prevention , poison control , occupational safety and health , physical therapy , population , femur , human factors and ergonomics , suicide prevention , injury severity score , health care , medical emergency , surgery , environmental health , pathology , economics , economic growth
Injury is a major health problem in the United States that has been viewed primarily as a disease of the young. As a result, the devastating consequences of injury on the elderly population have not been sufficiently explored. Proximal femur fractures (hip fractures), common injuries in persons over the age of 65, carry a mild Injury Severity Score but are associated with high morbidity and mortality in the older population. The author provides a rationale based on clinical and research literature for increasing injury surveillance for hip fractures in the elderly in order that injury care and control can be improved.