title: [Falls and accidents in the nursing home--review of a 5-year period].
abstract: 61 falls and accidents and one suicide needed medical attention in our nursing home during a five-year period. Most frequent sequelae were scalp lacerations, followed by fractures of the femoral neck. 73% of the patients who got hurt by falls suffered of dementia. 38% were being treated with neuroleptic, antihypertensive or diuretic drugs. It was not possible however to document a relationship between drug treatment and falls. Most falls occurred while patients were walking on the floor without obstacles and without external influences. 3 patients died as immediate consequence of their falls. We observed falls more often in the first period of the patient's stay in our institution and again shortly before the patient's death. Prophylactic measures against falls include bed-rails, little tables that can be fixed to the wheel-chairs in order to hinder unassisted standing up of patients, unable to walk alone and judicious treatment with sedative drugs. The most important measure however seems to be compassionate and attentive patient care that conveys trust and confidence between patients and the nursing personnel. Possibly the incidence of falls and accidents could be used as a measure of the quality of nursing care in geriatric institutions.
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents; D000368:Aged; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005860:Germany, West; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D012306:Risk; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000209:etiology*
vernacular_title: Stürze und Unfälle im Pflegeheim--Ubersicht einer Fünfjahresperiode.