Preventing falls in older hospitalized patients

Washington D.C. [USA]: In elderly hospitalized people, the risk of sustaining a fall can be predicted through an easy physical performance test, suggests a research.

A study of 807 older individuals admitted to hospital found that those who had poorer physical function at the time of admission were more likely to fall during their hospital stay; 329 falls occurred in 189 patients, including 161 injurious falls, of which 24 were serious.

Poor functional performance--in areas including balance, gait speed, and lower-limb strength--was also associated with a higher incidence of falls that resulted in physical injury or fractures.

The findings indicate that a simple physical performance test at the time of admission may help clinicians take steps to prevent in-hospital falls and consequent injuries in older patients.

The study has been published in published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.