None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Falls in hospital are common. Between 35-42% of falls cause injuries and 1 – 3% result in a fracture. These fractures are usually hip or pelvis fractures which threaten life and/or independence. Whilst there are some effective fall prevention strategies for falls in hospitals, fall rates and fall related injuries remain high. It is generally not possible to predict which falls or patients will have injurious falls. One approach is to tackle the whole population at risk by using energy absorbing or low impact flooring (LIF) to prevent injury. One trial to investigate the practical aspects LIF has already been completed and another is ongoing investigating falls and fall related injuries. For both, 3 different LIFs have been laid in one ward at PMH (total of 12 bed spaces) whilst 8 bed spaces have standard vinyl flooring (SF). During the trial, staff noted that 1 Parkinson’s patient appeared to have more gait initiation difficulties on the LIF. Parkinson’s patients often have gait initiation problems. Staff have commented that some other patients were thought to have “sticky feet” on LIF. Softer surfaces (includes carpets or LIF), could potentially worsen gait in patients with existing poor balance (eg Parkinson’s and stroke patients). Thus the aim of this exploratory study is to examine gait characteristics on LIFs compared to SF in different patient diagnostic groups.
Interventions
Ease of walking, as assessed by Timed up and Go test (3 metre) (timed, as well as qualitative comments on gait initiation, speed and safety on turning), on 3 different floor surfaces. These include at least 2 low impact flooring systems and 1 control (standard vinyl on subflooring of concrete).
The 3 low impact floor systems to be tested are (1) Smart Cell flooring which is a standard vinyl laid on a low impact subflooring approx 15mm deep (2) Omnisport Excell floor which is 8-10mm thick and has
Ease of walking, as assessed by Timed up and Go test (3 metre) (timed, as well as qualitative comments on gait initiation, speed and safety on turning), on 3 different floor surfaces. These include at least 2 low impact flooring systems and 1 control (standard vinyl on subflooring of concrete). The 3 low impact floor systems to be tested are (1) Smart Cell flooring which is a standard vinyl laid on a low impact subflooring approx 15mm deep (2) Omnisport Excell floor which is 8-10mm thick and has the vinyl combined with the softer subflooring and is laid as one surface (3) Kradal floor tiles which are again a combined product of vinyl fused with with the low impact layer. Each patient will be observed twice on each floor type Patients will be Parkinson's patients or stroke patients and a control group of older rehabilitation patients already in hospital, but who do not have Parkinson's or stroke
Sponsors
Dr Carl Hanger
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
65 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Current inpatients from any of 5 Older Persons health inpatient wards will be recruited aiming to select a convenience sample that includes: Parkinson’s patients (N=20), Stroke patients with either motor deficits such as hemiplegia with foot drop, poor foot clearance or proprioceptive loss (N= 20) and Control group-non stroke and non-Parkinson’s (N=20)
Exclusion criteria
Patients need be mobile with or without a walking aid (can be with one person assistance) to be included. Those less mobile, such as those requiring 2 people for walking or hoist transfers are excluded, but could be included later when their mobility has improved.
Outcome results
None listed