• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2023

Background: Like many other countries, falls and related injuries in older adults are great concerns in South Korea. In particular, falls are common in medical institutions, often causing the increase of the length of hospitalization. Objects: The purpose of this review was to help understand and address falls in hospitalized individuals in South Korea. Methods: The review was conducted on literature published in Korean from 2010 to 2022, searched in the Korea Citation Index and PubMed. Keywords used for the search were as follows: falls, fall risk, fall risk assessment, hospital, inpatient, intervention, Korea, and prevention. Results: A total of 54 articles were found and reviewed. The most common place of fall accidents was the inpatient room, where there were many cases of falls while walking. Loss of balance was the most common cause of falls, and many falls occurred in patients admitted to the internal medicine. Furthermore, a risk of falling increased with the type of medications taken. In terms of tools to assess patients' fall risk, the Morse Fall Scale (MFS) was commonly used. Patient-specific fall prevention activities were common to address falls, and they decreased the frequency of falls and the fear of falling. Factors influencing the effectiveness of the fall prevention activities included attitudes toward falls, education, environmental factors, patient safety culture, and self-efficacy in preventing falls. Conclusion: Our results should help understand and address falls and injuries in medical institutions.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.613-625
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine the effects of a fall prevention program on falls, physical function, psychological function, and home environmental safety in frail elders living at home in rural communities. Methods: The design of this study was a nonequivalent control group pre posttest design. The study was conducted from July to November, 2012 with 30 participants in the experimental group and 30 in the control group. Participants were registered at the public health center of E County. The prevention program on falls consisted of laughter therapy, exercise, foot care and education. The program was provided once a week for 8 weeks and each session lasted 80 minutes. Results: The risk score for falls and depression in the experimental group decreased significantly compared with scores for the control group. Compliance with prevention behavior related to falls, knowledge score on falls, safety scores of home environment, physical balance, muscle strength of lower extremities, and self-efficacy for fall prevention significantly increased in the experimental group compared with the control group. Conclusion: These results suggest that the prevention program on falls is effective for the prevention of falls in frail elders living at home.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.436-450
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study is designed to identity the extent of geriatric hospital nurse's knowledge attitude and fall prevention activities toward falls, thereby identifying the relationship between them. Methods: Knowledge of the falls targeting 350 people who work in the nurse elderly hospital, located at J city, attitudes about fall prevention activity data were collected for nurses working in the geriatric hospital. The collected data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheff's test, correlation coefficients. Results: Attitude and prevention activities of fall showed that there is a correlation. Showed that age was a significant effect on falls prevention activities age 45 years and olde and attitude. The higher the fall prevention activities were found to be low. Conclusion: In relationship between knowledge, attitudes and prevention activities regarding falls, knowledge about falls had no correlation with attitude and prevention activities and a correlation was found between attitudes and prevention activity regarding falls. Accordingly, it is required to implement training program to improve nurse's attitude to falls, and repetitive fall prevention training and education is expected to contribute to increasing the practice of fall prevention activity.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.69-83
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the factors influencing evidence-based fall prevention nursing performance of hospital nurses. Methods: A self-reported questionnaire was completed by 344 nurses from three general hospitals from January 20 to March 10, 2013. The study instruments included general characteristics of the subjects, and awareness and performance of fall prevention. Data were analyzed by t test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and multiple regression using SPSS v. 20.0. Results: There were statistically significant differences in awareness and performance according to age, marital status, clinical experiences, workplace, experience of fall prevention education, knowledge of fall prevention, compliance with fall prevention, attention level toward prevention, recognition level of potential falls, nurse responsibility for falls, importance of fall prevention, efforts level for fall prevention, and awareness score of falls prevention. There was a positive correlation among awareness and performance of fall prevention. Based on the multiple regression analysis, compliance with fall prevention, efforts level for fall prevention, and awareness score of falls prevention were significant predictors for performance of fall prevention. The explanation power of the model was 64.1%. Conclusion: The findings revealed the need to develop an effective nursing intervention to improve hospital nurses' performance for fall prevention.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.7-14
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of falls prevention exercise program to balance, falls efficacy, blood pressure and blood lipids in the elderly females. Methods: A total of twenty-six elderly women participated in this study. All subjects participated in exercise program based on pelvic stabilization and balance training on two times a week for twelve weeks. They were measured about Berg balance scale (BBS), Time up and go (TUG), Functional reach test (FRT), Sit to stand (STS) for balance, falls efficacy scale-international (FES-I) for falls efficacy, systolic blood pressure (SBp), diastolic pressure (DSp) for blood pressure, and total cholesterol (TC), triglyseride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) for blood lipids. Results: There were significant improvements of BBS (p<.05), TUG (p<.001) FRT (p<.01), and STS (p<.001) in the balance after exercise program. There was significant improvements in FES-I (p<.001) in the falls efficacy, There were no statistical differences of SBp and DSp in the blood pressure. There were no statistical differences of TC, TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C in the blood lipids. Conclusions: Falls prevention exercise program was meaningful increasing balance ability and falls efficacy.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.41-61
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• 2018

Purpose: Falls are one of the most frequent health events in medical institutions, however, they can be predicted and prevented. The Quality Improvement Nurse Society clinical practice guideline Steering Committee developed the Clinical Practice Guideline for the assessment and prevention of falls in adult people. The purpose of this study was to assess the risk factors for falls in adults aged 19 years and older, to present an evidence for preventing falls, formulate a recommendations, and indicators for applying the recommendations. Methods: This clinical practice guideline was developed using a 23-step adaptation method according to the Handbook for clinical practice guideline developer (version 1.0) by National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency. Evidence levels and recommendation ratings were established in accordance to SIGN 2011 (The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network). Results: The final 15 recommendations from four domains were derived from experts' advice; 1) assessment of risk factor for falls in adult 2) preventing falls and reducing the risks of falls or falls-related injury 3) management and reassessment after a person falls 4) leadership and culture. Conclusion: This clinical practice guideline can be used as a basis for evaluation and prevention of fall risk factors for adults, to formulate recommendations for fall risk assessment and fall prevention, and to present monitoring indicators for applying the recommendations.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.161-167
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• 2021

Understanding sciences behind fall-related hip fractures in older adults is important to develop effective interventions for prevention. The aim of this review is to provide biomechanical understanding and prevention strategies of falls and related hip fractures in older adults, in order to guide future research directions from biomechanical perspectives. While most hip fractures are due to a fall, a few of falls are injurious causing hip fractures, and most falls are non-injurious. Fall mechanics are important in determining injurious versus non-injurious falls. Many different biomechanical factors contribute to the risk of hip fracture, and effects of each individual factors are known well. However, combining effects, and correlation and causation among the factors are poorly understood. While fall prevention interventions include exercise, vision correction, vitamin D intake and environment modification, injury prevention strategies include use of hip protectors, compliant flooring and safe landing strategies, vitamin D intake and exercise. While fall risk assessments have well been established, limited efforts have been made for injury risk assessments. Better understanding is necessary on the correlation and causation among factors affecting the risk of falls and related hip fractures in older adults. Development of the hip fracture risk assessment technique is required to establish more efficient intervention models for fall-related hip fractures in older adults.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.200-209
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine the effects of a fall prevention program on knowledge, efficacy, and prevention behavior of falls among the low-income elderly. Methods: This study used a nonequivalent control group pre and post test quasi-experimental research design. The study was conducted from August to October, 2008 with 20 subjects in the experimental group and 22 in the control group who were registered at the public health center of S District in D City. Results: Hypothesis 1 "The experimental group that participated in the fall prevention program will show a higher degree of knowledge about falls than the control group" was supported. Hypothesis 2 "The experimental group will have a higher degree of self-efficacy of falls than the control group" was not supported. Hypothesis 3 "The experimental group will report fall prevention behavior more frequently than the control group" was supported. Conclusion: It was verified that the fall prevention program in this study was an effective intervention to improve knowledge about falls and fall prevention behaviors among the low-income elderly. The results can be used as part of an intervention to prevent falls for the vulnerable elderly such as the low-income elderly.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.1-9
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• 2008

Background: This study was to investigate effects of falls prevention exercise on functional fitness in elderly. Methods: A total of 45 healthy over 65years old adults (men=15, women=30) who were participated in this study. Exercise were involved in the period of 12 week complex physical training for around 50 minutes a day, three times per week. We measured subjects' physical activity levels by short physical performance battery(SPPB) test, timed up & go(TUG) test, one leg standing test(OLST) with closed eyes and maximal step length (MSL) test. Results: After falls prevention exercise, there were statically significant differences in SPPB, TUG, OLST and MSL test (P<.01) between pre and post test. There were statically significant differences in SPPB, TUG, OLST, MSL between pre and post test in men and women. There were statically significant differences between men and women in SPPB, TUG, OLST and MSL test. Conclusion: Falls prevention exercise had significant effects on physical fitness level in elderly, with a result increase muscle strength, balance ability and it might prevent falls.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.78-85
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• 2023

Background: Despite fall prevention strategies suggested by researchers, falls are still a major health concern in older adults. Understanding factors that differentiate successful versus unsuccessful balance recovery may help improve the prevention strategies. Objects: The purpose of this review was to identify biomechanical factors that differentiate successful versus unsuccessful balance recovery in the event of a fall. Methods: The literature was searched through Google Scholar and PubMed. The following keywords were used: 'falls,' 'protective response,' 'protective strategy,' 'automated postural response,' 'slips,' 'trips,' 'stepping strategy,' 'muscle activity,' 'balance recovery,' 'successful balance recovery,' and 'failed balance recovery.' Results: A total of 64 articles were found and reviewed. Most of studies included in this review suggested that kinematics during a fall was important to recover balance successfully. To be successful, appropriate movements were required, which governed by several things depending on the direction and characteristics of the fall. Studies also suggested that lower limb muscle activity and joint moments were important for successful balance recovery. Other factors associated with successful balance recovery included fall direction, age, appropriate protective strategy, overall health, comorbidity, gait speed, sex and anticipation of the fall. Conclusion: This review discusses biomechanical factors related to successful versus unsuccessful balance recovery to help understand falls. Our review should help guide future research, or improve prevention strategies in the area of fall and injuries in older adults.