Explore the relationships among scenarios, mechanism, experience, home environment hazards of falls, and severity of falls in elderly fallers admitted to emergency department.

• Main Authors: Chiang Hui-Ling, 江惠鈴
• Other Authors: Chou Cheng-hui, RN, MSN, Ph D
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2016
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/06340631472887740745

碩士 === 國立臺北護理健康大學 === 護理研究所 === 104 === The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between fall facts, including scenarios, mechanism, experiences, environmental hazards, and injury levels, among the elderly who received emergency-room treatment for their falls. This cross-sectional study was conducted among the elderly subjects visiting a teaching hospital located in central Taiwan for emergency treatment. Data collection using convenience sampling, structured questionnaire and telephone interviews were based on “Risk Factors, Psychological Trauma, and Health Utility in Elderly People with Hip Fractures”, a project from Taipei Medical University. At the first stage, 353 subjects were enrolled at emergency room. A total of 187 subjects accepted telephone interviews at the 2nd stage. Data including demographic variables, fall circumstance, mechanism, experience and living environment hazards were analyzed. SPSS for Windows (Ver.18) was used for descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, independent student t- test, and multiple linear regression. Results showed that the risk factors affecting injury levels in the elderly included the presence or absence of a facilitator, types of shoes, living environmental hazards, age, walking aids, fall direction, with or without hand-held items, and taking medications four hours before the falls. Aforementioned factors could lead to serious injury following falls among the elderly. Thus, this study demonstrated that improvement of living environment, use of walking aids in daily activities to maintain body balance, reduce internal factors related accidents such as soft falls, faint/dizzy, fall straight down, miss of footing, and tipping fall down. Use the most familiar language to effectively communicate and to provide the ideas for preventing falls to patients and their families. Comprehensive assessments and prevention programs are necessary to enhance patients’ understanding about their tendency to fall. Detailed explanation is needed to promote awareness of appropriate strategies and approaches for preventing falls in the elderly. Keywords: Elderly fall scenarios, elderly fall mechanism, elderly fall experience, home environmental hazards, injury levels of falls in the elderly