Management of fall-related injuries in the elderly: A retrospective chart review of patients presenting to the emergency department of a community-based teaching hospital

Physiotherapy Canada

Volumn 61, Issue 1, 2009, Pages 26-37

  Miller, Erin ^a,d   Wightman, Elizabeth ^a   Rumbolt, Karla ^a   McConnell, Sara ^b   Berg, Katherine ^a   Devereaux, Moira ^b   Campbell, Fiona ^c  

^a UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO   (Canada)

^b ST JOSEPH S HEALTH CENTRE   (Canada)

^c ST MICHAEL'S HOSPITAL   (Canada)

^d TORONTO EAST GENERAL HOSPITAL   (Canada)

Author keywords

Emergency department management; Fall prevention; Fall risk; Fall related injuries; Falls in the elderly

Indexed keywords

EID: 70349970859     PISSN: 03000508     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.3138/physio.61.1.26     Document Type: Article

References (27)

1. Public Health Agency of Canada [homepage on the Internet]. Report on seniors' falls in Canada. Ottawa: The Agency; 2005 [updated 2005 Nov 4; cited 2005 Nov 23]. Available from: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/seniors-aines/pubs/ seniors-falls/index.htm.
2. Health Canada [homepage on the Internet]. Canada's ageing population. Ottawa: Health Canada; 2002 [cited 2005 Nov 23]. Available from: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/seniors-aines/pubs/fed-paper/pdfs/fedpager-e.pdf.
3. Canadian Orthopaedic Association [homepage on the Internet]. Canada in motion: mobilizing access to orthopaedic care. 2005 [updated 2008 Feb 11; cited 2008 Oct 23]. Available from: http://www.coa-aco.org/library/health-policy/ canada-in-motion.html.
4. American Geriatrics Society, British Geriatrics Society, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Panel on Falls Prevention. Guideline for the prevention of falls in older persons. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2001;49:664-672
5. Manitoba Health. Preventing falls and fall-related injuries in Manitoba: a review of best practices. Impact. 2005:18-30.
6. Hausdorff JM, Rios DA, Edelberg HK. Gait variability and fall risk in community-living older adults: a 1-year prospective study. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2001;82:1050-1056
7. 7. Nevitt MC, Cummings SR, Kidd S, Black D. Risk factors for recurrent nonsyncopal falls: a prospective study. J Am Med Assoc. 1989;261: 2663-2668 (Pubitemid 19127961)
8. Rubenstein LZ, Josephson KR. The epidemiology of falls and syncope. Clin Geriatr Med. 2002;18:141-158
9. Scott V, Pearce M, Pengelly C. Technical report: injury resulting from falls among Canadians age 65 and over [document on the Internet]. Ottawa: Public Health Agency of Canada; 2005 [cited 2005 Nov 23]. Available from: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/seniors-aines/pubs/seniors-falls/pdf/ technical-report-injury-e.pdf.
10. Sherman FT. The cat's meow: a new mnemonic for diagnosis and management of falls in the elderly. Geriatrics. 2005;60:5-6.
11. 11. Rogers ME, Rogers NL, Takeshima N, Islam MM. Methods to assess and improve the physical parameters associated with fall risk in older adults. Prev Med. 2003;36:255-264 (Pubitemid 36299077)
12. 12. Kelly KD, Pickett W, Yiannakoulias N, Rowe BH, Schopflocher DP, Svenson L, et al. Medication use and falls in community-dwelling older persons. Age Ageing. 2003;32:503-509 (Pubitemid 37229043)
13. 13. Davison J, Bond J, Dawson P, Steen IN, Kenny RA. Patients with recurrent falls attending Accident and Emergency benefit from multifactorial intervention: a randomized controlled trial. Age Ageing. 2005;34:162-168 (Pubitemid 40331099)
14. 14. Khan SA, Miskelly FG, Piatt JS, Bhattachyya BK. Missed diagnosis among elderly patients discharged from an accident and emergency department. J Accid Emerg Med. 1996;13:256-257 (Pubitemid 26245176)
15. Weigand JV, Gerson LW. Preventative care in the emergency department: should emergency departments institute a falls prevention program for elder patients? a systematic review. J Acad Emerg Med. 2001;8:823-826
16. 16. Close J, Ellis M, Hooper R, Glucksman E, Jackson S, Swift C. Prevention of falls in the elderly trial (PROFET): a randomized controlled trial. Lancet. 1999;353:93-97 (Pubitemid 29088077)
17. 17. Shaw FE, Bond J, Richardson DA, Dawson P, Steen IN, McKeith IG, et al. Multifactorial intervention after a fall in older people with cognitive impairment and dementia presenting to the accident and emergency department: randomised controlled trial. Brit Med J. 2003;326:1-6. (Pubitemid 36092283)
18. 18. Donaldson MG, Khan KM, Davis JC, Salter AE, Buchanan J, McKnight D, et al. Emergency department fall-related presentations do not trigger fall risk assessment: a gap in care of high risk outpatient fallers. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2005;41:311-317 (Pubitemid 41423451)
19. Salter AE, Khan KM, Donaldson MG, Davis JC, Buchanan J, AbuLaban RB, et al. Community-dwelling seniors who present to the emergency department wim a fall do not receive guideline care and their fall risk profile worsens significantly: a 6-month prospective study. Osteoporos Int. 2006;17:672-683
20. St. Joseph's Health Centre. Emergency Department statistics. Prepared 2005 Sep. Available from: SJHC Emergency Department Database.
21. World Health Organization [homepage on the Internet]. Falls. Geneva: The Organization; 2005 [cited 2005 Nov 24], Available from: http://www.who.int/ violence-injury-prevention/other-injury/falls/en.
22. Jaglal SB, Cameron C, Hawker GA, Carroll J, Jaakkimainen L, Cadarette SM, et al. Development of an integrated-care delivery model for post-fracture care in Ontario, Canada. Osteoporos Int. 2006;17:1337-1345
23. Wilkins K. Health care consequences of falls for seniors. Health Rep. 1999;10:47-55.
24. 24. Campbell AJ, Robertson MC, Gardner MM, Norton RN, Buchner DM. Falls prevention over 2 years: a randomized controlled trial in women 80 years and older. Age Ageing. 1999;28:513-518 (Pubitemid 29535327)
25. Buchner DM, Cress ME, de Lateur BJ, Esselman PC, Margherita AJ, Price R, et al. The effect of strength and endurance training on gait, balance, fall risk, and health services use in community-living older adults. J Gerontol Med Sci. 1997;52:M218-24.
26. Rowland K, Maitra AK, Richardson DA, Hudson K, Woodhouse KW. The discharge of elderly patients from an accident and emergency department: functional changes and risk of readmission. Age Ageing. 1990;19:415-418
27. 27. Baraff LJ, Lee TJ, Kader S, Della Penn R. Effect of a practice guideline for emergency department care of falls in elder patients on subsequent falls and hospitalizations for injuries. Acad Emerg Med. 1999;6: 1224-1231 (Pubitemid 30005097)