The effect of physical and social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of hip fractures among senior citizens

Dror Ronel; Yaniv Keren; Aiman Muallem; Michal Elboim-Gabyzon

doi:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2021.10.018

The effect of physical and social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of hip fractures among senior citizens

Geriatr Nurs. 2022 Jan-Feb:43:21-25. doi: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2021.10.018. Epub 2021 Oct 22.

Authors

Dror Ronel¹, Yaniv Keren¹, Aiman Muallem¹, Michal Elboim-Gabyzon²

Affiliations

¹ Orthopedic Surgery Department, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.
² Physical Therapy Department, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel. Electronic address: moelboum-@staff.haifa.ac.il.

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the effects of the lockdown due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on the incidence and characteristics of hip fracture in older adults. Data from the three-month lockdown period and the corresponding period in the previous year were obtained from the computerized medical records of a large acute-care hospital. No significant differences were observed in the absolute and relative numbers of hip fractures. There were no significant differences in terms of socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, which are considered risk factors for falls. Similarly, there was no difference in the length of time between admission and surgery and the mean length of hospital stay. Compared to the previous year, there was a significantly higher incidence of hip fractures in older adults living alone during the lockdown. Health policy should provide social support and monitoring of healthcare, particularly to older adults living alone.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Hip fractures; Older adults.

MeSH terms

Aged
COVID-19*
Communicable Disease Control
Hip Fractures* / epidemiology
Humans
Incidence
Pandemics
SARS-CoV-2
Social Isolation