The Network’s early referral initiative to rehab for hip fracture is shifting gears.

Ten acute care and ten rehabilitation hospital sites implemented the early referral process for patients with hip fractures over the last two years. Almost all sites approached or surpassed the six-day target for ALOS from surgery to discharge to inpatient rehabilitation. All have sustained their gains.

The Network will continue to analyze referral process data for participating hospitals until March 2018. After that date, responsibility for data analysis shifts to the hospitals, but the Network will continue to convene project teams twice a year to problem solve identified challenges in the referral process. The project teams identified this increased collaboration and communication between acute care and rehab hospitals as one of the key successes of the initiative.

Continued focus on hip fracture population

Input from the project teams also sparked another Network initiative. Teams faced particular challenges when trying to address the rehabilitative needs of patients with complex medical or psychosocial issues. To address this, the Network is now working with the Toronto Stroke Networks on an initiative to improve flow for complex hip fracture and stroke patients.

The Network will also be working with members of the Cross Sector Hip Fracture Task Group to implement the new rehabilitative care best practices framework released by the Rehabilitative Care Alliance (RCA) this past spring and the quality standards for hip fracture published by Health Quality Ontario this fall.

For more information, please contact Sharon Ocampo-Chan, Project Manager.