Older people with cognitive impairment/​dementia have a higher prevalence of hip fracture and poorer outcomes after hip fracture when compared to cognitively normal older people. A recent Cochrane review has reported low to very low-quality evidence in relation to the effectiveness of models of care including enhanced rehabilitation strategies for people with cognitive impairment/​dementia and that none of the interventions were specifically designed for people with cognitive impairment/​dementia. There was some suggestion that enhanced care and rehabilitation may reduce delirium and an orthogeriatric model of care may reduce length of stay. This Cochrane review suggested that research should seek to determine the strategies needed to improve outcomes in people with cognitive impairment/​dementia who sustain a hip fracture.

In the Australian and New Zealand Hip Fracture Registry (ANZHFR) annual report there is significant hospital variation in the proportion of patients with cognitive impairment who are offered rehabilitation after a hip fracture. The aim of this study is to use NSW Linked data to examine outcomes (e.g. mortality, admission to residential aged care, readmissions) in people with dementia who do and don’t receive rehabilitation after a hip fracture.