Background:Clinical management guidelines usually advocate the surgical treatment of hip fractures within 20--48 hours of hospitalization, although many older patients present with significant medical conditions that require detection and possibly stabilization before surgery. The merits of an extensive preoperative medical workup versus a timely surgical intervention remain controversial. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of preoperative medical clearance procedures on the time from hospital admission to definitive surgical intervention in patients with hip fractures.