Patients’ perspectives on everyday life after hip fracture: A longitudinal interview study

Abstract Background The duration of the recovery process after hip fracture varies considerably, and patients' perspectives on everyday life may change over time. Our aim was to explore the impact of a hip fracture on elderly patients’ everyday life from their perspective and at different time points. Methods This is a longitudinal interview study. Twelve hip fracture patients of 65 years or older admitted to an orthogeriatric ward in Denmark were interviewed once, six patients twice, while four patients were interviewed on all four occasions (i.e., in-hospital and two—six weeks, at five—six months, and twelve months after the fracture). The interviews were analysed using abductive reasoning. Results The findings are presented per time point. During admission, patients expressed concern for their future, and especially pain and the fear of falling were pervasive topics. After discharge, the fracture itself had little prominence in the patients’ perspectives as activities of everyday life were used as measures of the recovery progress. Conclusions The patients' narratives at different time points revealed striking similarities across individuals. Despite pain and worry for the future during admission, the patients’ perspectives switched towards their ability to handle practical issues in everyday life and enjoy social activities, and their view on quality of life increased when their dependency on help decreased.