Karen Hertz – författare

This open access book aims to provide a comprehensive but practical overview of the knowledge required for the assessment and management of the older adult with or at risk of fragility fracture. It considers this from the perspectives of all of the settings in which this group of patients receive nursing care. Globally, a fragility fracture is estimated to occur every 3 seconds. This amounts to 25 000 fractures per day or 9 million per year. The financial costs are reported to be: 32 billion EUR per year in Europe and 20 billon USD in the United States. As the population of China ages, the cost of hip fracture care there is likely to reach 1.25 billion USD by 2020 and 265 billion by 2050 (International Osteoporosis Foundation 2016). Consequently, the need for nursing for patients with fragility fracture across the world is immense. Fragility fracture is one of the foremost challenges for health care providers, and the impact of each one of those expected 9 million hip fractures is significant pain, disability, reduced quality of life, loss of independence and decreased life expectancy. There is a need for coordinated, multi-disciplinary models of care for secondary fracture prevention based on the increasing evidence that such models make a difference. There is also a need to promote and facilitate high quality, evidence-based effective care to those who suffer a fragility fracture with a focus on the best outcomes for recovery, rehabilitation and secondary prevention of further fracture. The care community has to understand better the experience of fragility fracture from the perspective of the patient so that direct improvements in care can be based on the perspectives of the users.This book supports these needs by providing a comprehensive approach to nursing practice in fragility fracture care.

This second edition, in Open Access, aims to provide a comprehensive and practical overview of the knowledge required for the assessment and management of the older adult with or at risk of fragility fracture, with additional focus on those who are frail. It considers this from the perspectives of all the clinical and home care settings in which this group of patients receive care and is relevant to all global locations. The concept of orthogeriatric care is explored in detail.  Global estimates suggest that there were 21 million men and 137 million women aged 50 years or more at high fracture risk in 2010. This incidence is expected to double by 2040, with the most significant increase in Asia. Fragility fracture is one of the foremost challenges for health care providers and thehe global demand for nursing care for patients with fragility fractures across the world is immense. Hip fracture is particularly challenging as these significant injuries often occur in frail older people requiring hospitalisation and orthopaedic surgery. Such injuries and associated surgery result in increased frailty, worsening health and wellbeing, pain, disability, reduced quality of life, loss of independence, and decreased life expectancy. Care providers need to understand the experience of fragility fracture from the perspective of patients and families so that direct improvements in care can be based on the perspectives of the users.Expert care of patients following fractures that require hospitalisation and orthopaedic surgery involves skill in the care and treatment of frail older people as we as individuals with an injury and undergoing surgery.  Nurses have a significant role in interdisciplinary collaborative care provided through orthogeriatric models of care. There is increasing evidence that such models significantly improve patient outcomes. High quality, evidence-based orthogeriatric care is increasingly shown to havepositive impact on outcomes for recovery, rehabilitation, and secondary prevention of further fracture.This book significantly supports the aims and values of the Fragility Fracture Network and, as such, supports the learning needs of nurses and other allied health professionals which will enable a comprehensive approach to nursing practice in orthogeriatric and fragility fracture care.