New onset depression following hip fracture is associated with increased length of stay in hospital and rehabilitation centres.

Hip fracture in older adults is associated with a range of negative health outcomes including depression, dysregulation of the neuroendocrine and immune systems and frailty. The present analysis sought to examine the coincident effects of new onset depression post-hip fracture on length of hospital stay, readmission rates, and incidence of infections in older adults. Participants were 101 hip fracture patients aged 60 years or older, 38 of whom developed depressive symptoms following their fracture. Infection rates, readmissions to hospital and rehabilitation units, and length of hospital stay were assessed over the six months post hip fracture from hospital and general practitioner notes. Hip fracture patients who developed depression by week six post-fracture were more likely to be depressed by month six than nondepressed patients (p < .001). They were also likely to spend more time in hospital/rehabilitation wards (p = .02) and more likely to be discharged to a rehabilitation unit (p < .05). There were no group differences in readmissions or infection rates. In conclusion, new onset depression coincident with hip fracture in older adults is associated with longer hospital ward stays and greater need for rehabilitation.