RESEARCH REPORT POSTER DISPLAY

FALLS AMONG GREEK ELDERLY POPULATION ADMITTING AT EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS (EDS). A SIX-YEAR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY. Strimpakos N, Gogou V, Apostolopoulos S, Spatharakis G, Meliggas K, Kapreli E, Sakellari V, Gioftsos G; Department Of Physiotherapy, Tei Lamias, Lamia, Greece

PURPOSE: To evaluate the incidence of falls and their consequences in a Greek elderly representative sample leaving in Central Greek region. RELEVANCE: Epidemiologic studies for the incidence of falls in elderly are necessary to further elucidate risk factors for falling and to direct preventive strategies. PARTICIPANTS: The records of 204363 patients over 65, admitting the EDs of a local hospital and two health centers in central Greece from January 2000 to December 2005 were reviewed retrospectively. METHODS: Information about sociodemographic characteristics, health-related behaviors, health status, falls and their consequences was collected based on a structured data extraction form. ANALYSIS: Data was analysed qualitatively as well as quantitatively by using percentages and ratios RESULTS: 1.4% of patients presented at the EDs due to a fall incidence, 23.3% being required hospitalization. The average patient age was 75.2 (range= 65-102 years); male/female ratio 1:1.7. Season was not a discriminative factor of falls. Falls’ aetiology was known only in 14.6% cases due to underrecordable data, making any estimation invalid. Based on incidence reports, 736 (25.8%) of those falls resulted in fracture. Hip fractures comprised about 60% of total, while other most common areas were pelvis (13%) and shoulder (10.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Falls in Greek elderly community, in similar with other countries, are a great problem resulting some times in serious injuries and functional disability. Underreporting data in Greek EDs, mainly regarding the causes of falls, precludes many useful conclusions and prevention strategies, an issue that has immediately to be resolved. IMPLICATIONS: Fall-prevention programs should be directed towards Greek elderly people and especially women. KEYWORDS: Falls, Elderly, epidemiology. FUNDING ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This research as part of the research project «Archimedes II» has been funded by grants from the EC and the Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs. CONTACT: nikstrimp@teilam.gr

ETHICS COMMITTEE: Ethics Committe, Department of Physiotherapy, TEI Lamias