Comparative Prospective Study of Cognitive Function in Elderly Patients With Hip Fracture

Introduction: Decreased cognitive function in patients with hip fracture is associated with older age, level of functional status that existed and history of depression. Aim: The aim of the present study was to explore changes in cognitive status of patients admitted to hospital after a hip fracture and surgical procedure and the existence of correlation between these changes and sociodemograpfhic and perioperative factors. Μethod: The study population consisted of 30 patients with hip fracture surgically restored. To conduct the study a specially designed questionnaire with questions concerning the cognitive status of patients was used. The data were collected through personal interview. Statistical analysis performed with the statistical package SPSS ver.17 Results: The 73.3% (n=22/30) were women. The mean age of the sample was 79.4±9.68 years. A comparison of overall cognitive function before and after surgery showed statistically significant difference for both the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination - ACE-R and Mini-mental state examination (MMSE) between the two measurements. The cognitive skills, especially memory, verbal fluency and speech were more vulnerable to impairment after surgery. Statistically an important and direct correlation was found between cognitive status and sociodemographic factors, and specifically found that the ACE`R and MMSE tests were associated with age and education, while verbal fluency subscale partly was associated with the age and partly on education. The perioperative factors seem to play no role in cognitive functions. Conclusions: This study confirms the decline of cognitive function in patients with hip fracture during hospitalization and underlines the importance of systematic assessment of cognitive status of elderly patients with hip fracture by nurses so that they provide the best possible care.