Determining the risk of falling in elderly patients undergoing hip fracture surgery

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY This study examines the risk of falling in elderly patients who underwent hip fracture surgery in the orthopaedic clinic during the postoperative period. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was a cross-sectional study. The study sample consisted of 71 elderly patients aged more than 65 years undergoing hip fracture surgery. A questionnaire, the Tinetti balance test and the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) were used. RESULTS The analyses included 71 elderly patients with a mean age of 78.45 years. All patients had been hospitalized for hip fracture due to falling, and 29.6% had a history of falling in the one year prior to hospitalization. The mean MMSE score was 18.37 ± 6.54 and the mean Tinetti score was 11.10 ± 6.66. CONCLUSION We found that as the mean age of the elderly patients increased, the risk of falling also increased and the MMSE scores deteriorate and that the elderly patients living alone were at a greater risk of falling and had worse cognitive function, that those with a history of falling before hospitalization were at a greater risk of falling again and that the risk of falling increased as cognitive function declined. Key words:elderly, falling, hip fracture, risk of falling.