Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Hip Fracture Surgery Care in the United States From 2006 to 2015: A Nationwide Trends Study

Abstract

Background: Racial and ethnic disparities in the surgical treatment of hip fractures have been previously reported, demonstrating delayed time to surgery and worse perioperative outcomes for minority patients. However, data are lacking on how these disparities have trended over time and whether national efforts have succeeded in reducing them. The aim of this study was to investigate temporal trends in racial and ethnic disparities in perioperative metrics for patients undergoing hip fracture surgery in the United States from 2006 to 2015.

Methods: The National Inpatient Sample was queried for White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian patients who underwent hip fracture surgery between 2006 and 2015. Perioperative metrics, including delayed time to surgery (≥2 calendar days from admission to surgical intervention), length of stay (LOS), total inpatient complications, and mortality, were trended over time. Changes in racial and ethnic disparities were assessed using linear and logistic regression models.

Results: During the study period, there were persistent disparities in delayed time to surgery for White versus Black, Hispanic, and Asian patients (eg, White versus Black: 30.1% versus 39.7% in 2006 and 22% versus 28.8% in 2015, Ptrend> 0.05 for all). Although disparities in total LOS remained consistent for White versus Black patients (Ptrend= 0.97), these disparities improved for White versus Hispanic and Asian patients (eg, White versus Hispanic: 4.8 days versus 5.3 in 2006 and 4.1 days versus 4.4 in 2015, Ptrend < 0.05 for both).

Discussion: Racial and ethnic disparities were persistent in time to surgery and discharge disposition for hip fracture surgery between White and minority patients from 2006 to 2015 in the United States. These disparities particularly affected Black patients. Although there were encouraging signs of improving disparities in the LOS, these findings highlight the need for renewed orthopaedic initiatives and healthcare reform policies aimed at reducing perioperative disparities in orthopaedic trauma care.