Assessment of Fall Characteristics From Depth Sensor Videos.
Jennifer J O'Connor, Lorraine J Phillips, Bunmi Folarinde and 2 others
PMID 28651031WHAT IT FOUND
Most falls in senior housing videos came from incorrect transfers or shifts of body weight, not slips.
Check mobility aid use, because aids were present but unused in 20% of falls and in use in 40%.
Key findings
01Over 50% of the 64 falls occurred due to an incorrect transfer or shift of body weight, and 27% occurred due to loss of support from an external object.
02Mobility aids were present but not in use in 20% of falls and were in use in 40% of falls.
03The pelvis/buttocks/torso area absorbed the greatest amount of energy in 81% of falls and was at greatest injury risk in 72%.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Almost half of the 64 videos came from one individual, so characteristics from that person may have been counted repeatedly. The videos were silhouettes, so floor material, lighting and some environmental details could not be seen, and only 19 of the 24 questionnaire items were rated. Only 10 seconds of video were available, although a prior recommendation was to view 60 seconds before and after a fall. The camera covered only the main living area, not the bedroom or bathroom, so falls in those rooms were not detected. Some falls occurred outside the camera's visual range and could not be analyzed.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these fall patterns as evidence that a fall prevention program works. This study only described videos of falls that had already happened, and almost half of the videos came from one person.