Symptoms of older orthopedic and rheumatic patients

Background In older multimorbid orthopedic and rheumatic patients, data on symptoms besides pain or reduced mobility are rarely published. Objective We investigated patients’ perspectives on their symptoms after hospital discharge. Material and methods Orthopedic and rheumatic patients aged over 70 years were asked via telephone interviews about (i) their symptoms, (ii) communication, (iii) treatment, and (iv) support. Results (i) The 60 participants (35 women and 25 men) reported a median of 6 (min-max: 1–14) different symptoms, of which 86% (356 of 415) had existed before hospitalization, (ii) patients did not communicate 28% (117) of symptoms to either healthcare professionals, family or friends and (iii) 52 (87%) patients desired improvement. Of the 280 most impairing symptoms, 19% (52) were not treated at all. (iv) Almost all patients (59; 98%) considered it easy to obtain support. Conclusion Remarkably, many symptoms were not communicated or treated despite the patients having been hospitalized.