Functional autonomy and risk for secondary falls in older individuals in the postoperative period of hip fractur

• Grant number: 12/09618-4
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: August 01, 2012
• End date: October 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Public Health
• Principal Investigator: Silvia Cristina Mangini Bocchi
• Grantee: Silvia Cristina Mangini Bocchi
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FMB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Gilberto José Cação Pereira ; Marla Andréia Garcia de Avila

Abstract

A fall is an unintentional displacement of one's body to a lower level than that of an initial position with incapacity of timely correction. It is determined by multifactor circumstances and compromises stability. Falls occur due to postural balance loss, and they may result from primary disorders in the osteoarticular and neurological systems, an adverse clinical condition that secondarily affects balance and stability mechanisms or as a result of multiple risk factors in interaction. This study aims at evaluating functional autonomy and risk for falls in older individuals who underwent hip surgery after falling as well as the knowledge that such individuals and their familial caretakers have on preventive measures against new occurrences and their use in daily life. Additionally, it aims at analyzing the characteristics of the older individuals' falls as regards the site of occurrence, recurrence, activity being performed, time, day of the week, risk factors for falls, associated diseases, fractured bone and surgery performed, in addition to the sociodemographic aspects of the studied subjects (older individuals and their caretakers). It is a prospective, exploratory and descriptive study with quantitative and qualitative analysis. Data will be collected at the Orthopedics Outpatient Unit on the day of return after the postoperative period. Older persons over 60 years of age who underwent hip surgeries secondarily to a fall and who returned to the Orthopedics Outpatient Unit in the third to the fourth postoperative months will be included. Home visits will be paid to the older individuals who do not keep their return appointments. The Functional Independence Measurements will be used to evaluate the older persons' functional autonomy, and Berg Balance Scale will be utilized to evaluate the risk for falls. As regards the older individuals' caretakers, a qualitative analysis will be performed with the purpose to understand their perception of the event in question: an older person's fall followed by surgical treatment, and if they understand the possibility that a fall may occur again. Considering that approximately 100 thousand hip surgeries were performed on older persons in 2010 and that mortality is approximately 30%, a sample comprising at least 70 individuals will be taken into account, according to statistical orientation. In order to evaluate the associations between the Functional Independence Measurements, Berg Balance Scale and the variables of interest, the Chi-Square Test will be used by considering p<0.05 as the level of significance. Content analysis will be used to analyze qualitative data according to Bardin, who defines it as a research technique for the objective, systematic and quantitative description of content manifested in communication. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SUELEN ALVES ROCHA; MARLA ANDRÉIA GARCIA DE AVILA; SILVIA CRISTINA MANGINI BOCCHI. Influência do cuidador informal na reabilitação do idoso em pós-operatório de fratura de fêmur proximal. Rev. Gaúcha Enferm., v. 37, n. 1, 2016-04-12. (12/09618-4)

GARCIA DE AVILA, MARLA ANDREIA; CACAO PEREIRA, GILBERTO JOSE; MANGINI BOCCHI, SILVIA CRISTINA. Participação familiar para a reabilitação de idosos com fratura de fêmur. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, v. 68, n. 5, p. 883-889, SEP-OCT 2015. (12/09618-4)