The construction of a patient record-based risk model for recurrent falls among elderly people living in the community

Abstract

A risk model consisting of six variables usually known to the GP from the patient records may be a useful tool in the identification of elderly people living in the community at risk for recurrent falls.

Predictors of falls among postmenopausal women: results from the National Osteoporosis Risk Assessment (NORA)

“…In these studies, the risk of subsequent falls was increased twofold to threefold [10, 12, 16, 17, 25-27, 30, 32], also consistent with the magnitude of the increased risk of falls in NORA. Other clinical risk factors identified in NORA were identified in previous studies of communitydwelling elderly populations, including depression [16,17,42] and stroke [10,13,14,20], which increased the odds of any fall in NORA by 43% and 39%, respectively. In one study [17], depression was one of four factors predictive of recurrent falls.…”

“…Arthritis of the hip was a risk factor for injurious falls in another study of community-dwelling women aged 75 and older [18]. Pain or stiffness in muscles and joints was found to double the risk of recurrent falls in persons aged 70 and older [42].…”

“…NORA data are insufficient to distinguish whether depression or pharmacological treatment preceded the falls, but metaanalyses of other observational studies show a consistent association between falls and the use of antidepressants or other psychotropic medication [43]. One survey study of persons aged 70 and older found that use of antidepressants doubled the risk of recurrent falls [42]. History of stroke has been identified as a risk factor for falls in several prospective studies of community-dwelling older adults [13,14,20].…”

Obesity and its relationship with falls, fracture site and bone mineral density in postmenopausal women

“…There is no agreement between researchers for which tests are more appropriate in a specific situation 54 . Most tools rely on assessments of balance and strength [55][56][57][58][59][60] , so there are not applicable in the primary care settings.…”

Reducing fear of falling and avoidance of activity in elderly persons: The development of a Dutch version of an American intervention

“…It is reported both by elderly people who experienced a fall and by those who have no previous fall experience [1][2][3][4]. Studies conducted in the US, UK and The Netherlands report about 20-60% of the older people living in the community experiencing at least some fear of falling [2,3,[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. In two studies an even higher percentage of elderly people who reported fear of falling was observed [12,13].…”