Risk of falling was evaluated on the basis of immediate bipedal standing instability or abnormal semi-tandem posture, a get-up-and-go test time of more than 20 seconds, or clinical judgement. Compliance during hospital stay was evaluated through nursing records and compliance outside hospital by telephone interviews at 15 days and 3 months after discharge. Results
a total of 115 patients consecutively admitted to the psychogeriatric department of the Santa Creu Hospital in Vic were assessed.
Acceptability and compliance with the use of hip protectors in elderly patients with dementia admitted to a psychogeriatric unit
 
  Key words
 
 
  
   Dementia
  
 
 
  
   Hip protectors
  
 
 
  
   Femur fractures
  
 
 
  
   Acceptability
  
 
 
  
   Compliance
  
 
Objective
to detect the percentage of patients with <dis>dementia</dis> admitted to a psychogeriatric department, who have a high risk of falls, and to evaluate acceptance and compliance with hip protectors during their stay in hospital and 2 weeks and 3 months after discharge.
Material and methods
we performed a hospital-based prospective cohort study.
Risk of falling was evaluated on the basis of immediate bipedal standing instability or abnormal semi-tandem posture, a get-up-and-go test time of more than 20 seconds, or clinical judgement.
Compliance during hospital stay was evaluated through nursing records and compliance outside hospital by telephone interviews at 15 days and 3 months after discharge.
Results
a total of 115 patients consecutively admitted to the psychogeriatric department of the Santa Creu Hospital in Vic were assessed.
Sixty patients (52.2%) were excluded from the study, the main reason being dependence on another person for walking.
Of the 55 patients included, 44 (80.0%) had a high risk of falls and were candidates for hip protectors.
In-hospital compliance was 80.5% (95% CI: 65.1-91.2).
The most common cause of non-compliance was removal of the hip protector by the patient.
Compliance after discharge was 64.5% (95% CI: 45.4-80.8) at 2 weeks and 57.1% (95% CI: 28.9-82.4) at 3 months.
Conclusions
a high risk of falling was found in a large percentage of patients with <dis>dementia</dis> who were <scp><neg>not</neg> <dis>dependent on others for walking</dis></scp>.
Compliance was not a problem in the use of hip protectors in a high-risk population in the hospital-admission setting but was weaker in the community setting.
Objective
to detect the percentage of patients with dementia admitted to a psychogeriatric department, who have a high risk of falls, and to evaluate acceptance and compliance with hip protectors during their stay in hospital and 2 weeks and 3 months after discharge.
Material and methods
we performed a hospital-based prospective cohort study.
Risk of falling was evaluated on the basis of immediate bipedal standing instability or abnormal semi-tandem posture, a get-up-and-go test time of more than 20 seconds, or clinical judgement.
Compliance during hospital stay was evaluated through nursing records and compliance outside hospital by telephone interviews at 15 days and 3 months after discharge.
Results
a total of 115 patients consecutively admitted to the psychogeriatric department of the Santa Creu Hospital in Vic were assessed.
Sixty patients (52.2%) were excluded from the study, the main reason being dependence on another person for walking.
Of the 55 patients included, 44 (80.0%) had a high risk of falls and were candidates for hip protectors.
In-hospital compliance was 80.5% (95% CI: 65.1-91.2).
The most common cause of non-compliance was removal of the hip protector by the patient.
Compliance after discharge was 64.5% (95% CI: 45.4-80.8) at 2 weeks and 57.1% (95% CI: 28.9-82.4) at 3 months.
Conclusions
a high risk of falling was found in a large percentage of patients with dementia who were not dependent on others for walking.
Compliance was not a problem in the use of hip protectors in a high-risk population in the hospital-admission setting but was weaker in the community setting.
Risk of falling was evaluated on the basis of immediate bipedal standing instability or abnormal semi-tandem posture, a get-up-and-go test time of more than 20 seconds, or clinical judgement. Compliance during hospital stay was evaluated through nursing records and compliance outside hospital by telephone interviews at 15 days and 3 months after discharge. Results
a total of 115 patients consecutively admitted to the psychogeriatric department of the Santa Creu Hospital in Vic were assessed.