The continuing increase in demand for acute hospital
beds combined with an overall reduction in the Victorian
acute bed availability from 4.4 to 3.2 per 1000 population
has been noted by MacIntyre et al (1997) as having
resulted in an increase in elective surgical waiting lists.
Hip fractures contribute to this problem as a result of the
relatively long length of acute treatment which has been
reported to range from 6.6 to 32 days (Choong et al 2000;
Schurch et al 1996; Lavernia 1998; Swanson et al 1998;
Tallis and Balla 1995). The total annual health care
expenditure on hip fractures in the United States has been
estimated at over US$8.7 billion (Keene et al 1993). The
current average cost of acute treatment in Australia per hip
fracture, reported by Randell et al (1995) as $16,000,
combined with the previously noted increased incidence
has resulted in many hospitals investigating methods
of improving the quality and efficiency of the treatment
of hip fractures.