Abstract
Introduction: Femoral fragility fractures (FFFs) are a significant healthcare concern, with the incidence predicted to rise to 100,000 annually in the UK by 2033. Current secondary preventative strategies focus on the patient’s physical state – overlooking Hospital-associated Deconditioning (HAD), the decline in patient wellbeing post-admission. To prevent HAD, a ‘Games Area’ (GA) was introduced in December 2023 as a service improvement. This study evaluates the GA’s effectiveness in preventing HAD, by assessing patient satisfaction.
Method: We evaluated all patients aged 65yrs or more during their post-operative rehabilitation for their FFF who were deemed fully weight-bearing and medically ready for discharge. The control group received the standard care provided by the ward’s multidisciplinary team, while the GA group also had access to the GA, where patients were encouraged to participate in activities with fellow inpatients. Activities included colouring, jigsaw puzzles and wordsearches. Data were collected via weekly questionnaires and medical records.
Results: Overall, 75 patients participated (38 in the control group, and 37 in the GA group). Patients in the GA group reported higher satisfaction ratings, with a mean score of 3.01 (SD = 0.406) out of 5, while the control group’s mean was 1.83 (SD = 0.279).
Conclusion: The GA acts as a simple, cost-effective intervention that can mitigate HAD by enriching the ward environment – hence, enhancing patient experience, and may improve patients’ physical, mental, and emotional health.