@article{ref1,
title="Fall risk factors in elderly patients with cognitive impairment on rehabilitation wards",
journal="Geriatrics and gerontology international",
year="2009",
author="Vassallo, Michael and Mallela, Santhosh Kumar and Williams, Angela and Kwan, Joseph and Allen, Shelley and Sharma, J. C.",
volume="9",
number="1",
pages="41-46",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Confusion and cognitive impairment, are risk factors for falls in hospital. Evidence for reducing falls in cognitively-impaired patients is limited and to date no intervention has consistently been shown to reduce falls in this group of patients. We explored characteristics associated with falls in cognitively-impaired patients in a rehabilitation setting. METHODS: In a prospective observational study, 825 consecutive patients were studied. Patient characteristics were assessed on admission. Factors predisposing to falls in cognitively-impaired patients were identified. RESULTS: Cognitively-impaired patients were more likely to be fallers or recurrent fallers and more likely to sustain an injury than cognitively intact patients. They had a higher incidence of nursing home discharges and a significantly higher mortality. Logistic regression analysis showed that an unsafe gait (P < 0.001; 95% confidence interval, 0.13-0.57) was the only independent risk factor for falls in this group of patients. There was a cumulative higher risk of falling associated with an unsafe gait demonstrable throughout the patients' stay. CONCLUSION: Unsafe gait was the only significant independent risk factor for falls among cognitively-impaired patients in a rehabilitation environment. Interventions that improve gait patterns or that enhance safety for patients with abnormal gait are required if fall reduction in this group of patients is to be achieved.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1444-1586",
doi="10.1111/j.1447-0594.2008.00506.x",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1447-0594.2008.00506.x"
}