IMPACT-Global Hip Fracture Audit: Nosocomial infection, risk prediction and prognostication, minimum reporting standards and global collaborative audit

The IMPACT of COVID-19 on trauma & orthopaedic surgery provides lessons for future communicable disease outbreaks

“…1,2 Adherence to reporting standards for future studies investigating COVID-19 would improve the quality of the evidence presented, and these should include: pathogen factors (such as prevalence, virulence, and effects); healthcare factors (such as infection prevention and control strategies, diagnostic criteria, and relevant public health policies); and patient factors (such as vaccination status, comorbidity, and appropriate minimum follow-up duration). 3,4 A systematic review revealed variation in the methods used to diagnose COVID-19 in hip fracture patients, with some classifying patients as COVID-19-positive based on clinical diagnosis only, which may have resulted in an inaccurate assessment of the prevalence of COVID-19. 1 Future studies should be consistent in using laboratory tests for infection.…”

“…6,7 The International Multicentre Project Auditing COVID-19 in Trauma & Orthopaedics (IMPACT)-Global Hip Fracture Audit included patients from 14 countries spanning six continents, but further work is required to provide greater representation for patient groups in regions where hip fractures are becoming highly prevalent, particularly Southeast Asia and South America. 3 Each study conducted on an inpatient population is dependent on general factors affecting the community from which the inpatients are derived. Future studies should report the contemporary background prevalence of the disease and the predominant SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern (VOC), as well as hospital and community public health and infection control policies relevant to transmission characteristics for their catchment population.…”

“…1,2 Adherence to reporting standards for future studies investigating COVID-19 would improve the quality of the evidence presented, and these should include: pathogen factors (such as prevalence, virulence, and effects); healthcare factors (such as infection prevention and control strategies, diagnostic criteria, and relevant public health policies); and patient factors (such as vaccination status, comorbidity, and appropriate minimum follow-up duration). 3,4…”

“… 6 , 7 The International Multicentre Project Auditing COVID-19 in Trauma & Orthopaedics (IMPACT)-Global Hip Fracture Audit included patients from 14 countries spanning six continents, but further work is required to provide greater representation for patient groups in regions where hip fractures are becoming highly prevalent, particularly Southeast Asia and South America. 3 …”

The delivery of an emergency audit response to a communicable disease outbreak can inform future orthopaedic investigations and clinical practice

“…6,7 ImPACT reported important findings that included: mortality risk associated with CoVId-19 at the time of injury; risk factors for acquiring and dying of the disease; and the role of nosocomial transmission. 8 This global collaboration highlighted practical lessons that might guide the research and audit response to future specialty-wide issues. Reporting standards for future studies are suggested and include adequate reporting of pathogen, healthcare, and patient factors.…”