Falls are the number one mechanism of injury for The Trauma Center and Johnson City Medical Center (JCMC TC). JCMC TC is one of two level one trauma centers in the region and one of only six in the state. The main method for trauma prevention is outcome specific education and awareness. Injury prevention education is a critically needed area in the field of trauma and emergency care. Falls are the number one cause of injury in populations age >65. Socioeconomic status, age, gender, and race are all mitigating factors in the likelihood of greater length of stays, death in hospital, and death within one year of discharge for those who fall in a home setting. According to the CDC, people over the age of 75 are four to five times more likely than people under 75 to be admitted to a long-term care facility for more than a year. What is the relationship between patient characteristics and fall related outcomes in a level one trauma center? We looked at associations between patient demographics and associated outcomes for those admitted to the trauma center secondary to a ground level fall (GLF) in the home. Dataset: De-identified National Trauma Databank information was compiled by the JCMC Registrar for the past 8 years for the metrics: Injury Severity Score (ISS), length of stay, 48hr readmission, and disposition (home, nursing home, skilled nursing facility (SNF)).Demographic information, along with mechanism of fall, was collected for each patient. Patient age, gender, and date of injury was all used for statistical analysis and trend recognition. Statistical Analysis: Bivariate analyses included independent samples t-tests and Oneway ANOVA to find differences between groups. Results: T-test results show women are significantly more likely than men to be admit for a ground level fall (p<.001) and those with a higher ISS are more likely to have an extended stay in an inpatient setting (p<.001). One-Way ANOVA analysis of collected data shows an annual increase from 2006-2013 of trauma admissions for ground level falls (p<.01). Eight year analysis showed a two-fold increase in these admissions. Over 30% of patients admitted with a GLF are discharged to a SNF leading to higher societal costs due to Medicare reimbursement rates. Diagnosis related groups codes (DRG) dictate Medicare reimbursement rate of $14,091 per patient with an average facility cost of $14,196 per patient with no readmissions (Unplanned readmission within 180 days occurred at a rate of 8.3%). Conclusion: Fall education programs are necessary and needed in rural level one trauma centers to educate citizens on causes and methods of preventing falls in their homes. A decrease in these falls would lead to an increase in productive years of life and a reduction in strain on the hospital system.

Falls and concomitant injuries are common problems among large groups of the elderly population, leading to immobility and mortality. These problems are even more pronounced among people suffering from dementia. This thesis targets fall risk factors for people with dementia in institutions. The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate risk factors for falls, predisposing as well as related to circumstances surrounding falls, and to do this as efficiently as possible. In a prospective cohort study including residents of residential care facilities with and without dementia, the fall rate was higher for those with dementia, the crude incidence rate ratio (IRR) was 2.55 (95% CI 1.60–4.08) and the adjusted IRR was 3.79 (95% CI 1.95–7.36). In the group of people suffering from dementia, including 103 residents, a total of 197 falls resulted in 11 fractures during the 6-months follow-up period. From the same baseline measurements 26% and 55%, respectively, of the variation in falls could be explained in the group of residents with and without dementia. Fall predictors significantly and independently associated with an increased risk of falls in the group of people suffering from dementia were the category “man walking with an aid” and the use of more than four drugs. In a prospective cohort study, including 204 patients in a psychogeriatric ward, a total of 244 falls resulted in 14 fractures. Fall predictors significantly and independently associated with an increased risk of falls were male sex, failure to copy a design, use of clomethiazole, and walking difficulties. Treatment with statins was associated with a reduced risk of falls. With these fall predictors in the negative binomial regression (Nbreg) model, 48% of the variation in falls was explained. The data from the psychogeriatric ward were also analysed with the use of partial least squares regression (PLS) and regression tree to be compared with the results of the Nbreg analysis. PLS and regression tree are techniques based on combinations of variables. They both showed similar patterns, that a combination of a more severe level of dementia, behavioral complications and medication related to these complications is associated with an increased fall rate. Thirty-two percent and 38%, respectively, of the variation in fall rate were explained in the PLS and regression tree analysis. The circumstances surrounding the falls in the psychogeriatric ward were analysed. It was found that the fall rate was equally high during the night and the day. A large proportion of the falls was sustained in the patients’ own room and a small proportion of the falls was witnessed by the staff. This pattern was even more pronounced during the night. The proportion of diurnal rhythm disturbances and activity disturbances was higher for falls at night than for falls during the day. Circumstances associated with an increased risk of falls, as shown by a short time to first fall, were anxiety, darkness, not wearing any shoes and, for women, urinary tract infection. The proportion of urinary tract infection was also higher in connection to falls sustained by women than to falls sustained by men. This thesis confirms that people suffering from dementia are prone to fall. Walking difficulties, male sex and impaired visual perception are factors that should be considered in the work of reducing falls among people suffering from dementia. Furthermore, falls at night, behavioral complications and medication related to these complications should also be considered in this work, especially as the dementia disease progresses. A larger portion of the variation of the outcome variable was explained by the Nbreg model than the regression tree and PLS. However, these statistical methods, based on combinations of variables, gave a complementary perspective on how the fall predictors were related to falls.

Gait and balance disorders and the resulting falls are a substantial part of Parkinson's disease (PD) and other movement disorders. Especially in the late stage of PD more than 80 % of the patients fall. History of falls remains the best predictor of falls nonetheless, but it can not be used in falls prevention. Dopaminergic pharmacotherapy improves postural stability and gait in PD only in the early stage and the dopaminergic responsiveness of these symptoms decreases significantly during the disease progression. The impact of this medication on future falls risk remains still unclear. The connection between balance and gait disorders and cognitive impairment in PD is also not fully understood. The current state of knowledge about gait and balance disorders and cognitive impairment in PD is not satisfactory. Therefore the aims of the experimental part of this thesis were prospective monitoring of risk factors and predictors of falls, observation of the impact of dopaminergic medication on future falls risk and verifying the relationship between gait and balance disorders and cognitive impairment in PD. The fourth aim of the thesis was to specify the type and severity of gait and balance disorders in patients with essential tremor (ET). Although ET is one of the most common neurological disorders,...

Gait and balance disorders and the resulting falls are a substantial part of Parkinson's disease (PD) and other movement disorders. Especially in the late stage of PD more than 80 % of the patients fall. History of falls remains the best predictor of falls nonetheless, but it can not be used in falls prevention. Dopaminergic pharmacotherapy improves postural stability and gait in PD only in the early stage and the dopaminergic responsiveness of these symptoms decreases significantly during the disease progression. The impact of this medication on future falls risk remains still unclear. The connection between balance and gait disorders and cognitive impairment in PD is also not fully understood. The current state of knowledge about gait and balance disorders and cognitive impairment in PD is not satisfactory. Therefore the aims of the experimental part of this thesis were prospective monitoring of risk factors and predictors of falls, observation of the impact of dopaminergic medication on future falls risk and verifying the relationship between gait and balance disorders and cognitive impairment in PD. The fourth aim of the thesis was to specify the type and severity of gait and balance disorders in patients with essential tremor (ET). Although ET is one of the most common neurological disorders,...