• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.237-247
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of osteoporosis and falls and their consequences, and to identify predictors of fracture risk in the postmenopausal women. Methods: A total of 687 postmenopausal women were recruited through a stratified convenience sampling. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain osteoporosis and fall history and details of their most recent fall. To predict fracture risk factors, we collected demographic and physical health variables related osteoporosis and fall. Fracture risk was measured by FRAX$^{(R)}$ to calculate 10-year probability of major osteoporotic and hip fracture. Results: The prevalence of osteoporosis was 22.1%, and 66.4% of them had treatments for osteoporosis. The incidence of falls during the past year was 19.2% and 38.6% of those who fell suffered consequent fractures. Women with history of osteoporosis and falls were significant predictors of 10-year probability of major osteoporotic and hip fracture. Other significant predictors were history of fracture, chronic disease, surgical menopause, lower BMI, poorer perceived health and no job. Conclusion: It appears that history of osteoporosis and falls are main predictors of fracture risk. Nursing assessment should be performed by detail history taking for osteoporosis, fall, chronic disease, and fracture to screen fracture risk group among postmenopausal women.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.189-198
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• 2021

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of biomechanical variables on gait according to indoor and outdoor environmental conditions in elderly women at risk of falling. Method: 26 elderly women aged 70 years or older, and consisted of 13 elderly people with a walking speed of less 1.0 m/s and 13 people in the fall risk group as normal groups. Depending on the purpose of the study, physical examination and psychological questionnaire were prepared, and then walking was performed in an indoor/outdoor environment, and the gait pattern, muscle activity, and plantar pressure results were compared and analyzed in the elderly females through a 2 group × 2 environment 2-way repeted ANOVA analysis. Results: The gait variable showed an interaction effect the cadence. The muscle variables showed interaction effects in the rectus femoris and tibialis anterior muscles, and the interaction effects of the plantar pressure variables were confirmed in the forefoot and midfoot of the contact area, and the midfoot of the mean pressure. Conclusion: These results indicate that both groups are exposed to falls risk when gait in an outdoor environment, but the fall risk group has a higher risk of falls in both the gait pattern, muscle activity, and plantar pressure variables. The results of this study are considered to be helpful as basic data and development of exercise programs to prevent falls.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.61-70
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• 2021

Purpose: The study aims at identifying patient-related and environmental factors associated with an increased risk of falling and, therefore, both caregivers and designers can be aware of fall risk factors and can contribute to prevent inpatient falls in their own areas of expertise. Methods: A case-control study has been conducted, utilizing patient data and physical environmental data in the unit of General Medicine in the United States. The case-control study investigated data about patients who had suffered falls as well as patients with similar characteristics (e.g., age, gender, and diagnosis) who did not suffer falls. Results: The study identified both patient-related and physical environmental factors associated with inpatient falls. Morse fall risk score, patient visibility, and patient accessibilityB were identified as significant predictors to inpatient falls, when controlling for other significant variables. Implications: The findings of the study can provide implications to both caregivers and healthcare and hospital environment designers. Caregivers should give special attention to patients with high Morse Fall Risk Scores to prevent inpatient falls. Designers also need to examine and to fine-tune the unit layout of inpatient care units to maximize each patient room's patient visibility from the rest of the unit and patient accessibilityB from working areas of nurses.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.63-70
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• 2016

Background: The Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS) and the Fullerton Advanced Balance (FAB) scale were used to assess balance function in patients with balance problem. These multidimensional clinical balance scales provide information about potential risk factors for falls. Objects: The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the predictive properties of the PBS and FAB scales relative to fall risk in children with cerebral palsy (CP) using a receiver operating characteristic analysis. Methods: In total, 49 children with CP (boy=21, girl=28) who were diagnosed with level 1 or 2 according to the Gross Motor Function Classification System participated in this study. The PBS and FAB were performed, and verified cut-off score, sensitivity, specificity, and the area of under the curve (AUC). Results: In this study, the PBS scale was as a predictive measure of fall risk, but the FAB was not significant in children with CP. A cut-off score of 45.5 points provided optimal sensitivity of .90 and specificity of .69 on the PBS, and a cut-off score of 21.5 points provided optimal sensitivity of .90 and specificity of .62 on the FAB. Both scales showed moderately accurate of AUC with .79 and .76, respectively. Conclusion: The PBS is a useful screening tool for predicting fall risk in children with cerebral palsy, and those who score 45.5 or lower indicate a high risk for falls and are in need of balance intervention.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.157-167
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• 2003

Falls are a leading cause of injury, disability and death among people older than 65. Even without injury, falls cause a loss of confidence that results in reduced physical activity, increased dependency and social withdrawal. Fall prevention in the eldery people is a multifaced task that includes both the identification of risk factors and their modification strategies. Fall risk factors have been identified as both intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic factors are those related to the physical and cognitive function of the person. Extrinsic factors are those which are included in the environmental hazards of everyday life. Combinations of interventions aimed at modifying both intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors can result in significant fall prevention in the geriatric population. This article selectively reviews the literature reporting exercise intervention to improve strength, balance and mobility.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.111-116
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• 2012

This study analyzed the accidents and researched on risk of the actual condition in roof works. This study revealed that 68% of accidents in roof works occurred on small sized construction sites. And 79% of accidents are caused by fall. It is simply because most laborers do not wear the safety harness and the mounted equipment is not properly installed. According to our research, we realize that most of roof works have some risk of the fall accidents. Most of roof working sites have the danger of falling at ladder and temporary walkway. In oder to prevent accidents in roof works, the basic rule such as wearing the safety harness must be followed.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.89-101
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence, characteristics, and factors related to falls occurring among the community-dwelling elderly. Methods: The subjects were 299 community-dwelling-elderly in Jeju Province. Data were collected via in-person interviews by five visiting nurses in October, 2012. Fall risk assessment tools developed by the CDC, K-ADL, HDS-K, and GDS were used for data collection. Results: A significant number of subjects (34.1%) had experienced a fall at least once within the last six months. Living arrangements, strokes, urinary incontinence, main daily activities, and depression were significant factors related to these falls. Other risk factors included heavy use of medications, difficulties in walking and standing, needing arms to stand up from a chair, and hearing loss. Conclusion: The results reveal critical factors related to falls among the community-dwelling elderly. These information should be used to develop and implement fall prevention programs in communities.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.215-224
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify risk factors in hospitalized children, and to develop and validate a fall-risk assessment tool for hospitalized children. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed at one university children's hospital, and an analysis was done of the characteristics of all patients who fell during a 44-month period (n=48). These patients were compared with another 149 hospitalized children who did not fall. Results: Significant predictors of falls as identified in a multivariate logistic regression analyses were age of less than 3 years old, neurological diagnosis including epilepsy, children's dependency of ADL, physical developmental delay, multiple usage of fall-risk-increasing drugs. The respective odds ratios ranged from 2.4 to 7.1 with 95% confidence interval (p<0.05). Accordingly, defining patients with either 5 risk factors as fall-prone hospitalized children provided a sensitivity of 93.6% and specificity of 16.2%. Conclusion: The results show that this tool has an acceptable level of sensitivity to assess the risk factors of fall in hospitalized children even though the specificity was low, suggesting that this tool may enable nurses to predict the risk level of childhood falls, and develop preventive strategies against pediatric falls in children's units.

• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 1998

The literature review for fall in the elderly has been done for the better quality of life of increasing elderly people toward 21 st century. Because 30 to 50% of over sixty five years old persons have experiences of fall, five percent of the fallen have trauma such as bone fracture requiring hospitalization and three quarter of people who die as fall are over 65 year old, fall is important health problem of them. There are very little societal interest in and research related to fall. Therefore, among recent foreign and our literatures studying literature review of frequency of fall, risk factors and assessing method for tall, and the management of fall prevention program, I would like to find research direction. Conclusivelly, we should study extensively the survey of the elderly's fall and on the basis of it. developing fall prevention program, promote the elderly's health through fall prevention.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.29-37
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the characteristics and factors affecting falls among elderly inpatients with chronic diseases based on the data from the discharge damage depth survey of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) from 2014 to 2018. Method: The study selected elderly inpatients aged over 65 who were hospitalized(n=1,173). Their data were analyzed after being assigned to either a fall group(KSCD, W00-W19) or a non-fall group. Frequency analysis, cross-tabulation analysis, and binary logistic regression analysis were conducted, using SPSS 28. Results: According to the analysis on category of fall and non-fall group were statistically significant difference in age and having chronic diseases. Based on the binary logistic regression analysis of factors affecting falls, The risk of falls was 1.058 times higher with age, and E11-E14 and I63 as main diagnostic codes, the risk of falls was 2.049 times and 2.437 times higher. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop customized educational manuals and muscle exercise programs considering the characteristics of chronic diseases and to create a safe hospital room environment, and this result is expected to be used as basic data for fall prevention education and manual development for elderly inpatients with chronic diseases.