Adequate anamnesis for the evaluation of hip function in elderly patients.

A study for the evaluation of hip function was carried out in a series of 102 patients who, together with an escort, visited the Outpatients Department for other than hip complaints. Questions derived from a number of known systems for hip assessment formed the basis of the interview and, if present, the degree of senile dementia was approximated. Auto-anamnesis proved to be sufficient for adequate hip assessment in 40 patients, in six of whom there was a mild senile dementia, and insufficient in 62 patients, in 53 of whom there was senile dementia. From the 102 patients, adequate anamnestic information was presented for proper hip assessment in only 57 percent of cases (n = 58). The results of this study show that the practical value of the current systems for hip assessment in elderly patients is rather limited.