Dietetic care of hip fracture patients across Australia: Are we doing enough?

Abstract

Aim: To determine the composition of usual nutrition care provided by Australian dietitians to patients with a falls related femoral neck fracture. Methods: A cross-sectional survey administered via the World Wide Web using Survey Monkey to dietitians across Australia. Results: One hundred and sixty eight dietitians working with patients with a femoral neck fracture in Australia responded to the survey. Few dietitians (n=7) indicated they worked in the community setting. Nutritional screening was used among respondents (n=93), but 32/93 indicated they did not use a validated tool. Most commonly used interventions included strategies to increase intake of nutrients, such as provision of nourishing meals, snacks, and oral supplements. Conclusions: Some concerns remain regarding provision of optimal nutritional care of femoral neck fracture patients in Australia. There were few respondents working