It’s a big problem. 46% of all risksFalls treated in hospitals correspond to people over 65. In Spain, in 2021, 236,029 seniors were admitted for this purposeand new data from the Ministry of Health, which is currently working to revise the plan to prevent frailty and falls in this group. But more than prevention, experts want to act carefully if the accident has already happened and causes a breakdown that can make the difference between being independent or being dependent. It is supported by Pilar Sáez, coordinator of National Hip Fracture Registry (RNFC) is the Director of the Geriatrics Service of Alcorcón Foundation University Hospital in Madrid.
Death of a director Mayra Gómez Kemp After a dramatic fall in an accident at home that took her to the hospital, the impact of such injuries on the elderly is becoming tragically apparent. What professionals They have been warning for a long time. In Spain, every year, more than 280,000 cases of fragility are recorded. It affects, above all, women.
Old, very careful
It is the data recently presented by Health, in Spain, women He lives about 88 years and men up to 83.9. However, over the age of 65, only half are in good health: 10.3 years for women and 10.7 for men. This means that a large part of people’s lives the elderly have health problems, which increases the need for medical treatment and care.
The department led by Mónica García is working on the renewal of the system to prevent falls in the elderly, which aims to identify, both in health care and in other areas of the community and send to the hospital, people over 70 years of age who can. contain the risk of falling and avoid possible injuries.
The risk of age
A recent study shows that 18% of people over the age of 65 suffer from disabilities. This number varies according to the environment: 12% in the community and 45% in settings such as hospitals or nursing homes, where people often present more serious health problems. Frailty is strongly related to age. As we age, the number increases: between 2.5% and 6% in people between the ages of 70 and 75, and up to 38% in people over 85.
The impact of frailty goes beyond the individual’s health, says Health. Weak people need medical and social support, that is more money to the health system. It is estimated that the annual cost per frail person is 2,500 euros per yeartwice as much as an adult without a disability.
Osteoporosis
The broken will be gone more because we live longer and older. It is estimated that, in ten years, the number will increase by 30%. On the same Monday, a study carried out by experts from the Spanish Society of the Vertebral Column revealed what affects the importance of the growth of vertebral damage due to osteoporosis.
80% of patients admitted for vertebral fractures due to osteoporosis are women and the average age is 76 years.
Made in Hospital of the University of Valencialed by Dr. Antonio Silvestre, head of the Surgery of Nerves and Nerve Pain, reveals that the epidemic can account for almost one day of admission to high-level hospitals (1 for all 1.6 days in the investigated hospital). 80% of patients Those admitted were women and the average age was about 76 years.
The one who dies the most
A hip fracture is, of course, the same high mortality, dependency and health damage are included. In 2016, linked to the Health Research Institute of La Paz University Hospital (IdiPaz), the National Registry of Hip Fractures was born in Spain. as in freedom from a group of professionals who wanted to use this research to improve patient care. In 2017, collecting data, preparing reports, choosing quality indicators and annual meetings.
National hip fracture registries have been shown to improve the number of early surgeries and reduce mortality in several countries.
RNFC provides reports to participating centers. From January 1 to December 31, 2023, he said 53 hospitals participated and data from 9,906 patients were collected. Interestingly, if we talk about sex, of the number of patients, 75% were women.
National hip fracture registries have shown increase the amount of early surgery and reduced mortality in several countries, including the United Kingdom. Many studies have shown that delayed intervention (surgery after 48 hours from admission) is associated with a gradual increase in clinical complications (the number of deaths and complications such as infections or sore throats). Similarly, early surgery has been associated with better functional outcomes, shorter hospital stays, and little read, which results in lower cost of the system.
Early surgery
With data provided by Dr. Sáez, number of patients intervened in the last 48 hourswhich is important, has come a long way in the last few decades. The Community of Madrid is well known in this sector above the national level. It is also the region with the largest number of RNFC participating hospitals that treat the largest number of patients each year. According to a study by the Results Observatory, 46% of Madrid’s hospitals have successfully performed primary surgeries in comparison 2020-2022.
In April 2024, the RNFC approached the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System to make its work more visible and avoid inconsistencies. between hospitals, provinces and autonomous regions. “A good opportunity would be to establish an organization. The Ministry knows about it and supports it, but it does not accept it, and the ministries that have the power to be changed, some know and others do not know. No one has included it,” says his director who asks to push to continue because, it affects, It is a voluntary work of professionals.
Beyond prevention
The growth of this number worries organizations such as Platform for Seniors and Pensioners (PMP) which has already asked the Ministry of Health about the need to implement a National Anti-Fall Plan as they have done in countries like France. “First you are well, then you are weak and then you are dependent,” summarizes the Director of the Geriatrics Service of Alcorcón Foundation University Hospital in Madrid.
“Among weaknesses are dependenciesthey fall a lot and break a lot. Of course, we need to take steps to identify weaknesses, and medical professionals have a lot to say about that, talk about proper nutrition, exercise…It’s true and very good. But we can’t turn a blind eye, because fractures and falls continue, even if you try to stop them,” he adds. You have to move forward, helps the geriatrician.
We cannot cover our eyes, because fractures and falls will continue to exist, even if you try to stop them.
Therefore, experts agree with this a systematic approach is required which helps stabilize the treatment in this process. For example, to promote the rapid preparation of patients with hip fractures and the standards of a shared organization for all hospitals. Or to establish a ‘Fracture Code’ similar to the ‘Stroke Code’ which has greatly contributed to the speed and medical treatment in hospitals. Greater involvement of health officials, both from the Ministry of Health and Ministries, would bring about decisive change, he concludes.
