Objective  To explore the effect of clinical pathway for painless management in perioperative nursing of elderly patients with femoral fracture.

  Methods  Totally 60 elderly patients with femoral fracture were randomly divided into routine group (treated with routine nursing) and painless group (treated with clinical pathway for painless management), with 30 cases in each group. Nursing effect was compared between two groups.

  Results  The scores of visual analogue scale (VAS) at 24, 48 and 72 hours after operation in the painless group were significantly lower than those in the routine group (P < 0.05), and the excellent rate of hip function recovery, Barthel index and score of simple Fugl-Meyer scale (FMA) of motion function of lower limbs in the painless group were significantly better than those in the routine group at 3 months after operation (P < 0.05).

  Conclusion  Application of clinical pathway for painless management in perioperative nursing of elderly patients with femoral fracture can effectively reduce the pain and promote the recovery of hip joint function, lower limb function and daily life ability.