Almost half of all hip fracture patients in England are being denied NICErecommended pain relief as part of their care, audit results reveal.
In guidance first published in 2011, NICE recommends a certain pain relief protocol for patients with hip fracture, which includes an anaesthetic known as nerve block. It says that clinicians should consider adding nerve blocks if paracetamol and opioids do not provide sufficient preoperative pain relief, or to limit opioid dosage. In addition, intraoperative nerve blocks should for be used on all patients undergoing surgery.
Figures from the latest audit by the National Hip Fracture Database (HFD) found that only 56% of hip fracture patients received nerve block for pain relief. Consequently, the report recommends that nerve block should be offered to all hospital patients who present with hip fracture.
