Preventing falls on an elderly care rehabilitation ward

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Healthcare Safety

Background:

• Falls are a significant concern in elderly rehabilitation settings, impacting patient recovery and hospital resources.
• Flooring type and physiotherapy interventions are potential modifiable factors for fall prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of carpet versus vinyl flooring in reducing falls.
• To evaluate the impact of additional leg strengthening exercises compared to conventional physiotherapy on fall incidence and patient strength.

Main Methods:

• A randomized 2x2 controlled trial was conducted on an elderly care rehabilitation ward.
• Fifty-four patients were allocated to different flooring types (carpet/vinyl) and physiotherapy regimens (conventional/additional leg exercises).
• Outcomes measured included fall incidence and changes in patient strength.

Main Results:

• A trend towards fewer falls was observed with vinyl flooring (1 fall) compared to carpet (10 falls), though not statistically significant (p=0.05).
• The additional leg strengthening exercise group had fewer falls (4) than the conventional physiotherapy group (7), but this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.12).
• Patients receiving additional exercises showed a statistically significant improvement in handgrip strength compared to those receiving conventional physiotherapy.

Conclusions:

• This study did not find statistically significant evidence to support vinyl flooring or additional leg strengthening exercises in preventing falls in rehabilitation settings.
• However, a trend suggests vinyl flooring may be superior to carpet for fall reduction.
• Additional leg strengthening exercises demonstrated a positive impact on patient strength, warranting further investigation.