Publications by authors named "Karen Harding"

Trauma in older people leads to substantial morbidity and mortality. The National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD) has driven improved practice with units compared to identify outliers. In 2013, our unit was an outlier for mortality post hip fracture (30-day mortality 12.

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The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of atypical femoral fractures in our local population, study their current outcomes and present a novel surgical strategy based on these data. Patients who received surgical fixation of an atypical pattern proximal femoral fracture over a four-year period were identified and followed up in the clinic until union, revision surgery or death. The local incidence of atypical femoral fractures is 1.

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Background: Recent publications indicate increased mortality in patients admitted to hospital at the weekend, but these findings may be subject to inadequate adjustment for case-mix and the complexities of resource provision. Hip fractures generally occur in a frail comorbid population with a consistent diagnosis precipitating admission as an emergency. We therefore aimed to examine the association between the day of the week of milestones in the care pathway and 30-day mortality in this population.

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Objectives: To assess variation in access to and use of community rehabilitation services for patients with a hip fracture, and whether this affects length of stay in hospital.

Design: Cross-sectional study using administrative patient-level data from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) and organisational survey data.

Setting: A regional health economy in South West England served by four acute National Health Service (NHS) hospital trusts and six former Primary Care Trusts (PCTs).

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Introduction: Pertrochanteric hip fractures occur in an elderly population and cause considerable morbidity and loss of functional ability as the fracture heals. Recently, parathyroid hormone (PTH), which is licensed for the treatment of osteoporosis, has been shown to potentially accelerate bone healing in animal and human studies. If its administration could allow a faster functional recovery after pertrochanteric hip fracture, then a patient's hospital stay may be reduced and rehabilitation could be potentially accelerated.

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Twenty children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) were treated with either Ritalin (10 children) or dietary supplements (10 children), and outcomes were compared using the Intermediate Visual and Auditory/Continuous Performance Test (IVA/CPT) and the WINKS two-way analysis of variance with repeated measures and with Tukey multiple comparisons. Subjects in both groups showed significant gains (p less than 0.01) on the IVA/CPT's Full Scale Response Control Quotient and Full Scale Attention Control Quotient (p less than 0.

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