A qualitative study of functioning, disability, and rehabilitation of patients after hip fracture surgery Monica Milter Ehlers PhD student, MSc in Nursing Merete Bender Bjerrum* PhD, MA, Associate Professor Claus Vinther Nielsen* Professor, PhD, MD, Specialist in Clinical Social Medicine *Department of Public Health, Aarhus University Introduction Hip fractures cause the greatest consumption of bed days in Danish hospitals. The need for rehabilitation of hip fracture patients older than 65 years is increasing because of a growing number of elderly people in Denmark. Rehabilitation of hip fracture patients consists primarily of muscle training and daily mobilisation. Patients' functioning, disability, and involvement in their rehabilitation process have not been investigated in scientific studies. Aims To establish a specific research-based knowledge for functioning, disability, and rehabilitation of hip fracture patients older than 65 years. To evaluate knowledge about functioning, disability, and rehabilitation of postoperative hip fracture patients older than 65 years. 2) To investigate how health care professionals assess patients’ functioning, disability, rehabilitation, and factors with an impact on functioning, disability, and rehabilitation. To investigate how patients and their close relations have experienced patients’ functioning, disability, rehabilitation, and factors with an impact on functioning, disability, and rehabilitation. Figure 2 Expected outcome Acquired knowledge is disseminated in three scientific articles, which hopefully will assess and optimise the rehabilitation effort in Danish regions and municipalities. Material and Method The PhD project is based on the Model of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (The ICF model) (Figure 1) and White Paper of the Rehabilitation Concept. The method of the project is qualitative, and the design used to answer the research questions is qualitative deductive content analysis (Figure 2). The informants are health care professionals, postoperative hip fracture patients older than 65 years, and their close relations. Data are generated by a systematic mixed-method review of the literature from 2001 to 2012, focus group interviews with health care professionals from the Geriatric department at Aarhus University Hospital, and the Municipality of Aarhus, as well as individual interviews with patients and their close relations. Perspective The perspective is to create a scientific foundation and terminology about health related conditions and rehabilitation of hip fracture patients older than 65 years. The foundation and terminology can be used in the development of targeted and coordinated rehabilitation services that enable patients to master everyday life despite disabilities. Figure 1 This study is funded by Folkesundhed i Midten Geriatric Department, Aarhus University Hospital Health and Welfare, the Municipality of Aarhus CFK - Public Health and Quality Improvement, Central Denmark Region