Do hip protectors decrease the risk of hip fracture in elderly?

Abstract

Efforts aimed at preventing hip fractures include lifestyle advice for high-risk elderly, interventions to reduce the risk of falls and medication for osteoporosis. Alternative approach is the use of hip protectors. Hip protectors have pads designed to cover the greater trochanter and attenuate or disperse the force of a fall sufficiently to prevent a hip fracture. There are 14 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) included in the Cochrane systematic review until 2005. All RCTs were classified into three groups by the type of randomization; cluster randomized in institutions, individually randomized in institutions and individually randomized in community. There is little evidence to support the use of hip protectors outside the nursing home setting. Further research is required, primarily to produce a device that provide higher compliance, and which will then need to be tested in another RCT.