Falls have diverse causes. Determining these circumstances can contribute to promoting a culture of prevention and to reducing the injuries provoked by falls. Notification procedures should be standardized in order to enable comparisons among different environments.

ObjectivesFalls are an important adverse event among institutionalised persons. It is in this clinical setting where falls occur more frequently than in any other, despite the measures commonly taken to prevent them. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of a typical institutionalised elderly patient who suffers a fall and to describe the physical harms resulting from this event. We then examined the association between falls and the preventive measures used.MethodsThis was a prospective cohort study in 37 nursing homes in Spain. The participants were all the nursing home residents institutionalised in these centres from May 2014 to July 2016. Participants were followed up for 9 months. During this period, two observations were made to evaluate the preventive measures taken and to record the occurrence of falls.Results896 residents were recruited, of whom 647 completed the study. During this period, 411 falls took place, affecting 213 residents. The injuries caused by the falls were mostly minor or moderate. They took place more frequently among women and provoked 22 fractures (5.35%). The most commonly used fall prevention measure was bed rails (53.53% of cases), followed by physical restraint (16.79%). The latter measure was associated with a higher incidence of injuries not requiring stitches (OR=2.06, 95% CI 1.01 to 4.22, P=0.054) and of injuries that did require stitches (OR=3.51, 95% CI 1.36 to 9.01, P=0.014) as a consequence of falls. Bed rails protected against night-time falls.ConclusionsFalls are a very common adverse event in nursing homes. The prevention of falls is most commonly addressed by methods to restrain movement. The use of physical restraints is associated with a greater occurrence of injuries caused by a fall.

The Spanish version of the SCI quality of life scale has been satisfactorily adapted and validated for use in Spanish-speaking countries and populations.

Beachgoers are a strategic target to prevent skin cancer. Beaches are also suitable places to develop a skin cancer prevention campaign, allowing direct access to the high-risk population for surveying, health behavior education, and screening. Several keys may be useful to optimize results as the design of a personalized intervention of proven efficacy, provision of a trained healthcare team, and development of an attractive strategy for the mass media.

Background. Skin Cancer Index (SCI) is a specific questionnaire measuring health related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with cervicofacial non-melanoma skin cancer (CFNMSC). The original scale has recently been adapted and validated into Spanish. Objectives. Evaluate the responsiveness of the Spanish version of SCI. Methods. Patients with CFNMSC candidate for surgical treatment were administered the questionnaire at time of diagnostic (t 0), 7 days after surgery (t 1), and 5 months after surgery (t 2). The scale and subscales scores (C1: social/appearance, C2: emotional) were then evaluated. Differences between t 0-t 1, t 1-t 2, and t 0-t 2 were determined and a gender-and-age segmented analysis was performed. Results. 88 patients, 54.8% male, mean age 62.5 years, completed the study. Differences between t 0-t 1 and t 1-t 2 scores were statistically significant (p < 0.05). The lowest values were found at time of diagnosis and postsurgery. Women and patients under 65 years showed the lowest values at the three times. Limitations. Concrete geographic and cultural area. Clinical and histological variables are not analysed. Conclusions. Our results confirm responsiveness of the Spanish version of the SCI. Further development of the instrument in Spanish-speaking countries and populations will make it possible to extend worldwide research and knowledge horizons on skin cancer.