OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence and nature of unreported and reported home accidents in older people and to investigate associated environmental factors. DESIGN: Postal questionnaire requesting information on home accidents in the preceding month. SETTING: Inner London general practice. SUBJECTS: All registered patients aged over 65 years (n = 1662), of whom 120 were inappropriately registered and 1293 responded. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Circumstances and consequences of accidents in the home. RESULTS: 108 accidents were recorded in 100 patients, giving a home accident rate of 84/1000 patients, equivalent to an annual rate of 1002/1000. 73 accidents were falls, and 83 were unreported. Of the 25 reported accidents, 19 were reported to general practice and six to accident and emergency departments (5.6% of all events). Rates of home accidents increased with age and were higher in women than men (79/819 upsilon 29/474; chi 2 = 4.5, df = 1, p less than 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of home accidents in people aged over 65 years was high but few events were reported to medical services. General practice provided the main contact for patients who reported home accidents, and primary care workers have important opportunities for advising elderly patients on home accident prevention. Improved publicity on home safety targeted at older people and their carers would support the primary health care team in this role.
OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence and nature of unreported and reported home accidents in older people and to investigate associated environmental factors. DESIGN: Postal questionnaire requesting information on home accidents in the preceding month. SETTING: Inner London general practice. SUBJECTS: All registered patients aged over 65 years (n = 1662), of whom 120 were inappropriately registered and 1293 responded. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Circumstances and consequences of accidents in the home. RESULTS: 108 accidents were recorded in 100 patients, giving a home accident rate of 84/1000 patients, equivalent to an annual rate of 1002/1000. 73 accidents were falls, and 83 were unreported. Of the 25 reported accidents, 19 were reported to general practice and six to accident and emergency departments (5.6% of all events). Rates of home accidents increased with age and were higher in women than men (79/819 upsilon 29/474; chi 2 = 4.5, df = 1, p less than 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of home accidents in people aged over 65 years was high but few events were reported to medical services. General practice provided the main contact for patients who reported home accidents, and primary care workers have important opportunities for advising elderly patients on home accident prevention. Improved publicity on home safety targeted at older people and their carers would support the primary health care team in this role.
Authors: Helen A Snooks; Mary Halter; Jacqueline C T Close; Wai-Yee Cheung; Fionna Moore; Stephen E Roberts Journal: Qual Saf Health Care Date: 2006-12
Authors: A Stefanie Mikolaizak; Paul M Simpson; Anne Tiedemann; Stephen R Lord; Gideon A Caplan; Jason C Bendall; Kirsten Howard; Jacqueline C T Close Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2013-09-27 Impact factor: 2.655
Authors: Helen Snooks; Wai-Yee Cheung; Jacqueline Close; Jeremy Dale; Sarah Gaze; Ioan Humphreys; Ronan Lyons; Suzanne Mason; Yasmin Merali; Julie Peconi; Ceri Phillips; Judith Phillips; Stephen Roberts; Ian Russell; Antonio Sánchez; Mushtaq Wani; Bridget Wells; Richard Whitfield Journal: BMC Emerg Med Date: 2010-01-26