Efficacy of an individualized discharge planning program in rib fracture patients with and without lung injury after six months follow up

Abstract

Introduction: Rib fractures are the most common form of blunt trauma to the chest. As the number of fractured ribs increases, a patient's risk of respiratory complications may increase. The quality of life can be affected after the rib fracture. In this line, no previous study has approached the different therapeutics related to lung injury in rib fracture patients.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an individualized discharge planning program in rib fracture patients with and without lung injury after six months follow up.

Methods: A clinical trial was performed with hospitalized rib fractured patients having a conservative treatment. The patients were allocated in two groups of lung injury severity using the Lung Injury Score (LIS). The patients without lung injury had a score of LIS<1, and the patients with lung injury had a score of LIS≥1. We proposed individualized attention and structured discharge planning based on the healthcare team agreement, and the patient’s individual requirements.

Results: 81 patients were included in the study. Patients with lung injury were significantly older (p=0.028), and showed worse rib fracture pattern and severity, and longer length of stay (p<0.05). Regarding the overall health status from baseline to discharge, patients with lung injury had statistical differences between groups (p<0.001). However, no statistical differences were found among groups after six months follow up.

Conclusion: An individualized discharge planning intervention did not show significant differences between rib fracture patients with lung injury and without lung injury after six months follow up.