Analysis of clinical data to examine utility of quality statements for the management of patients with hip fractures in the emergency department

Abstract

Background. Establishment of quality statements that depict best practice is a first step in improving healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. Purpose. Examine feasibility of using quality statements to monitor and evaluate the care received by patients with hip fractures in the emergency department (ED). Method. Retrospective analysis of administrative data to determine proportion of cases attaining the quality statements and examine differences in attainment by patients' age and sex, as well as time and day of presentation. Results. Data for 191 patients were analysed. Half were over 80 years of age and spent over 7.5 hours in ED. Considerable variability was evident in the rate of attainment of the quality statements. Examined covariates did not help predict attainment. Conclusion. This investigation is unique because it focuses on quality statements that are sensitive to nursing intervention and provides a foundation for examining the impact of ED nursing care on patient outcomes.