Investigating the fall-injury reducing effect of impact absorbing flooring among female nursing home residents: initial results

Gustavsson, Johanna; Bonander, Carl; Andersson, Ragnar; Nilson, Finn

doi:10.1136/injuryprev-2014-041468

Cited by 36 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 33 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It had also been tested concerning impact reduction during lateral falls on the pelvis, showing an overall protective effect, especially for frail elderly (Bhan, Levine, & Laing, 2013). We previously evaluated the injury reducing effect of the floor and found it to decrease the risk of injury by 59% for falls on compliant flooring compared to regular flooring (Gustavsson, Bonander, Andersson, & Nilson, 2015). …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

There is more to life than risk avoidance – elderly people’s experiences of falls, fall-injuries and compliant flooring

Gustavsson

Jernbro

Nilson

2018

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose: Falls are the most common cause of injury in all ages and are especially difficult to prevent among residential care residents. Compliant flooring that absorbs energy generated within the fall, has been proposed as a measure to prevent fall-injury, however little is known regarding the implementation aspects in clinical settings. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of falls, the risk of fall-injury, prevention in general and specifically compliant flooring as an injury preventative measure amongst frail elderly people living in a residential care facility with compliant flooring. Through this, generate a theory that further explains the underlying barriers of active prevention amongst elderly people. Method: We used the grounded theory method and conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with eight elderly people in residential care (data collected between February and December 2017). Results: The identified categories were Falling as a part of life, Fearing the consequences and A wish to prevent falls and injuries. Through the results it was clear that There is more to life than risk avoidance, permeated the interviews, therefore forming the grounded theory. The interviewees viewed falls as something common and normal, and were uninterested in focusing on the risk of falls. Although they wanted to prevent falls, it was often difficult to integrate preventative measures into their everyday life. They embraced the idea of an injury-reducing compliant flooring, however their main interests lay elsewhere, preferring to focus on social interaction and issues concerning daily activities. Conclusions: The theory generated in this paper proposes explanations on the obstacles of implementing fall prevention measures in an elderly frail population. The findings give insights as to why interest and compliance for active fall prevention measures are low. We conclude that complaint flooring, from the perspective of the residents, can work well in residential care.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

There is more to life than risk avoidance – elderly people’s experiences of falls, fall-injuries and compliant flooring

Gustavsson

Jernbro

Nilson

2018

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Previous studies have reported that floor characteristics and floor materials could influence the injury severity of falls in older adults. [7][8][9][10][11][12] However, floor factors associated with injury severity from outdoor falls in older adults have never been studied. We hypothesized that floor factors might affect severe fall injuries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relating factors to severe injury from outdoor falls in older people

Jung

Kim

Lee

et al. 2017

Geriatrics Gerontology Int

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim:The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics, including floor characteristics and factors, related to severe injury from outdoor falls in older adults.Methods: Patients were divided into two groups based on injury severity: the severe group and non-severe group. The clinical and general characteristics were compared between the two groups, and factors associated with severe injury were investigated.Results: Approximately 5% (364/7635) of older people involved in outdoor falls were classified into severe injury. The proportion of men and the rate of alcohol ingestion were higher in the severe group compared with that in the nonsevere group. Falling from stairs was a more frequent mechanism of fall in the severe group compared with that in the non-severe group. Non-slippery floor condition had a higher proportion in the severe group than that in the nonsevere group. Head and neck were the predominantly injured regions in both groups. Discharge was the most common result of emergency department treatment in the non-severe group, whereas admission to intensive care unit was the main result in the severe group. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that male sex and falls from stairs rather than slipping down on the same level were associated with severe injury.Conclusions: Floor characteristics did not influence injury severity; however, the risk of severe injury from outdoor falls in older adults was high in men and those who fell from stairs. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; ••: ••-••.

show abstract

“…Recent preliminary studies suggest that compliant flooring may reduce fall-related injuries in LTC,36 37 but these studies have used retrospective36 and non-randomised36 37 study designs, which leave open the opportunity for biased effect estimates, and they have been insufficiently powered to examine the effect of compliant flooring on the most serious and costly fall-related injuries. The FLIP Study will fill this gap in the evidence base.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While two falls on standard flooring resulted in fracture, no falls on compliant flooring resulted in fracture 36. Further, a non-randomised study of female residents at a Swedish LTC site installed compliant flooring (1.25 cm Kradal) in 350 m 2 of a single ward, including some resident rooms and common areas but no bathrooms 37. During 2.5 years of prospective falls surveillance, 16.9% of falls (13 of 77) on compliant flooring were injurious compared with 30.3% of falls (77 of 254) on control flooring (vinyl, linoleum and ceramic tile, all with concrete underlay), which resulted in a significant 59% reduction (95% CI 20% to 80%) in risk for fall-related injury after adjustment for individual-level covariates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study protocol for the Flooring for Injury Prevention (FLIP) Study: a randomised controlled trial in long-term care

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Investigating the fall-injury reducing effect of impact absorbing flooring among female nursing home residents: initial results

Cited by 36 publications

References 33 publications

There is more to life than risk avoidance – elderly people’s experiences of falls, fall-injuries and compliant flooring

There is more to life than risk avoidance – elderly people’s experiences of falls, fall-injuries and compliant flooring

Relating factors to severe injury from outdoor falls in older people

Study protocol for the Flooring for Injury Prevention (FLIP) Study: a randomised controlled trial in long-term care

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About