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Did You Know? > Fall Prevention Door-to-Door |
| Incorrect Dialyzer or Dialyzing Solution | Non-Adherence to Procedures | ||
| Patient Falls | Hand Hygiene | ||
| Medication Errors |
FACT |
SOURCE |
If 5% of patients fall in a three-month time period, and there are 304,799 End Stage Renal Disease patients nationwide, this results in an estimated 15,240 patient falls every three months. |
Health and Safety Survey to Improve Patient Safety in End Stage Renal Disease, page 18 |
40% of patients who had fallen cited weakness or dizziness as the reason for their fall. |
Health and Safety Survey to Improve Patient Safety in End Stage Renal Disease, page 8 |
There is a higher hip fracture rate in Caucasian U.S. hemodialysis patients than age, sex, and race matched nonuremic patients. |
A. M. Alem, D. J. Sherrard, D. L. Gillen et al., "Increased Risk of Hip Fracture Among Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease," Kidney International 58, no. 1 (2000): 396-399. |
In addition to fractures, head injuries, and lesions, falls often result in the patient becoming more cautious about future falls, leading to a reduction in physical activity. This reduction in physical activity leads to deconditioning of the patient, loss of lean tissue, and increased muscle weakness thereby increasing the likelihood of future falls. |
C. Desmet et al., "Falls in Hemodialysis Patients: Prospective Study of Incidence, Risk Factors, and Complications," American Journal of Kidney Disease 45, no. 1 (Jan 2005): 148-153. B. Brouwer, K. Musselman, E. Culham, "Physical Function and Health Status Among Seniors With and Without a Fear of Falling," Gerontology 50 no. 3 (May-Jun 2004): 135-141. E. M. Andresen et al., "Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Risk Factors for Falls, Fear of Falling, and Falls Efficacy in a Cohort of Middle-Aged African Americans," Gerontologist 26, no. 2, (April 2006): 249-257. |
| One in three adults 65 and older falls each year, making it a leading cause of injury deaths for this demographic. | B. Korc, S. Stapleton. "Find the Reason, Then Prevent the Fall" American Medical News. December 22, 2008:17-18. |
| Falls are the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital trauma admissions. | B. Korc, S. Stapleton. "Find the Reason, Then Prevent the Fall" American Medical News. December 22, 2008:17-18. |
| In 2005, 15,800 people died from injuries related to unintentional falls and about 1.8 million were treated in hospital emergency departments. | B. Korc, S. Stapleton. "Find the Reason, Then Prevent the Fall" American Medical News. December 22, 2008:17-18. |
| One in four seniors who breaks a hip stays in a nursing home for at least a year after the injury. | B. Korc, S. Stapleton. "Find the Reason, Then Prevent the Fall" American Medical News. December 22, 2008:17-18. |