Patient and proxy perspectives in decision-making for geriatric hip fracture management in the Netherlands: a qualitative study

Objective The objective of this study was to explore the perspectives with the decision-making process between surgery and palliative, non-operative management of geriatric hip fracture patients and their proxies.Design A qualitative interview study was performed. Patients and proxies were asked to participate in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis according to Braun and Clarke’s six-step guide.Setting and participants Hip fracture patients in the Netherlands were eligible for inclusion. For hip fracture patients with a pre-existing diagnosis of dementia and for patients who opted for palliative, non-operative management, proxies were included.Results A total of 16 interviews were conducted, consisting of 4 patient interviews and 12 proxy interviews. Five themes were identified during thematic analysis: (1) underlying patient values, (2) the provision of information, (3) reasons to consider either palliative, non-operative management or surgery, (4) involvement in decision and (5) realisation of expectations. Information provided by the physician varied in terms of desired level of detail but involved discussing the advantages and disadvantages of surgery and palliative, non-operative management. Patients and proxies underscored the importance of achieving optimal quality of life, and the disparity between expected and actual treatment outcomes was unpleasant and negatively influenced the overall experience.Conclusions In-depth analysis provided a unique insight into the patient and proxy perspectives in shared decision-making for geriatric hip fracture management in the acute setting. Overall, there were differences between reported experiences and preferences of participants. This heterogeneity stresses the importance of keeping a person-centred approach during shared decision-making. Other key considerations during shared decision-making include physicians informing patients from professional experience and communicating sensitively about both treatment options and prognosis. Physicians should aim to provide realistic, sensitive and timely information to both patients and proxies during the choice between curation and palliation for their hip fracture.