New-onset depression after hip fracture surgery among older patients: Effects on associated clinical outcomes and what can we do?

BACKGROUND: Hip fracture in the elderly is a worldwide medical problem. New-onset depression after hip fracture has also received attention because of its increasing incidence and negative impact on recovery. AIM: To provide a synthesis of the literature addressing two very important questions arising from postoperative hip fracture depression (PHFD) research: the risk factors and associated clinical outcomes of PHFD, and the optimal options for intervention in PHFD. METHODS: We searched the PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases for English papers published from 2000 to 2021. RESULTS: Our results showed that PHFD may result in poor clinical outcomes, such as poor physical function and more medical support. In addition, the risk factors for PHFD were summarized, which made it possible to assess patients preoperatively. Moreover, our work preliminarily suggested that comprehensive care may be the optimal treatment option for PHFDs, while interdisciplinary intervention can also be clinically useful. CONCLUSION: We suggest that clinicians should assess risk factors for PHFDs preoperatively, and future research should further validate current treatment methods in more countries and regions and explore more advanced solutions.