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Impact of fractures on health care in a major university hospital in Rome

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Abstract

Background and aims: The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of fractures (i.e., hip, Colles, humeral and vertebral fractures), compared with that of other common diseases requiring hospitalization, on health care in the main hospital in Rome (Italy). Methods: Hospital discharge forms, filled in according to the 9th International Classification of Diseases, were examined from 1996 to 1999. Data on fractures were compared with those related to other diseases which occupy a considerable proportion of hospital operating time in Italy: coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disorders (CVD), diabetes mellitus (DM), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and breast cancer (BC). Results: In all groups of patients, the mean age of females was significantly higher (p<0.0001) than that of males. Male patients with hip fractures had hospital stays significantly longer than females (p<0.0001), whereas women with Colles fractures had significantly (p<0.02) longer stays. When patients were divided according to age (i.e., over or under 60 years), mean hospital stays did not differ between younger and older patients in all groups except Colles fractures (p<0.001). Hip fractures in older patients showed striking in-hospital mortality. Throughout the study period, hip fractures accounted for the highest overall and per-patient costs. The number of female patients with fractures (and, obviously, breast cancer) was higher, while the opposite applied to the other disorders. Male patients with fractures, CHD and CVD were significantly younger than females (p<0.0001). When the percentage of deaths was added to that of patients discharged to other institutions, fractures showed the poorest outcome of any hospitalization event. Per-patient costs were remarkably higher for CHD, followed by fractures. Conclusions: Fractures represent a growing but often underestimated burden for hospital care in Italy; further studies are needed on this issue.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche, Università “La Sapienza”, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Roma, Italy

    Elisabetta Romagnoli, Emilio D’Erasmo, Simona De Geronimo, Jessica Pepe, Marianna Maranghi, Giuseppe Aliberti & Salvatore Minisola MD

  2. Division of Internal Medicine, “Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza” Hospital, IRCCS, San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia

    Vincenzo Carnevale

  3. Policlinico “Umberto I”, Roma

    Pierluigi Calandra

  4. Chair of Statistics, “S. Pio V” University, Roma, Italy

    Giuseppe Manfredi

Authors
  1. Elisabetta Romagnoli
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  2. Vincenzo Carnevale
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  3. Pierluigi Calandra
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  4. Emilio D’Erasmo
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  5. Simona De Geronimo
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  6. Jessica Pepe
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  7. Giuseppe Manfredi
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  8. Marianna Maranghi
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  9. Giuseppe Aliberti
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  10. Salvatore Minisola MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Salvatore Minisola MD.

Additional information

Results partly presented in abstract format at the 1st SIOMMMS Meeting, Milano, Italy, October 3–6, 2001.

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Romagnoli, E., Carnevale, V., Calandra, P. et al. Impact of fractures on health care in a major university hospital in Rome. Aging Clin Exp Res 15, 505–511 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03327374

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03327374

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