Telling the truth to patients before hip fracture surgery

Background

Hip fracture repair surgery carries a certain mortality risk, yet evidence suggests that orthopedic surgeons often refrain from discussing this issue with patients prior to surgery.

Aim

This study aims to examine whether orthopedic surgeons raise the issue of one-year post-surgery mortality before hip fracture repair surgery and to explore factors influencing this decision.

Method

The study employs a cross-sectional design, administering validated digital questionnaires to 150 orthopedic surgeons.

Results

A minority of orthopedic surgeons reported always informing patients about the risk of mortality in the year following hip fracture surgery. The main reasons for not discussing this risk were a desire to avoid frightening patients, time constraints, and concerns about undermining patient hope. Orthopedic surgeons reported a medium-high level of perceived self-efficacy, with higher self-efficacy associated with a reduced likelihood of discussing one-year mortality risk. Conversely, older age and holding a specialist status in orthopedic surgery were associated with an increased likelihood of discussing this risk with patients.

Conclusions

These findings suggest a need for interventions to address communication barriers and ensure consistent provision of essential information to patients undergoing hip fracture surgery. Additionally, they highlight the importance of considering individual factors such as self-efficacy, age, and expertise in designing strategies to improve patient-provider communication in orthopedic care settings.

Trial registration

: The study doesn`t report the results of a health care intervention.