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Table 3 Falls and proportion of injurious falls as reported in the RCTs

From: Definitions and methods of measuring and reporting on injurious falls in randomised controlled fall prevention trials: a systematic review

Ref.

Sample size, n

All falls, n

Proportion of injurious falls to all falls, % (n)

   

Total

Fracture

Serious

Moderate

Healthcare use

 

Definitions based only on symptoms

 

Fracture definition

[40]

981

1527

4.5% (68)

2.1%(32)1

2.4%(36)2

-

-

-

[41]

196

460

3.6% (7)

3.6%(7)3

-

-

-

[42]

242

275

11.3% (31)

11.3%(31)3

-

-

-

[43]

2.256

5.404

4.6% (246)

4.6%(246)3

-

[59.2% (3.198)]8

-

 

AIS definition

[46]

384

619

23.4% (145)

2.4% (15)4

2.9%(18)5

-

18.1%(112)9

-

[47]

199

78

28.2% (22)

2.6%(2)1

2.6%(2)2

-

23.1%(18)7

-

[48]

230

89

56.2% (50)

1.1%(1)1

4.5%(4)2

14.6%(13)6

36%(32)10

-

 

Other definition

[49]

597

510

63.5% (324)

-

-

-

-

[54]

186

322

39,4% (127)

-

-

-

-

[55]

597

957

48,0% (459)

-

-

-

-

[62]

360

367

8.2% (30)

1.9%(7)3

6.3% (23)

-

-

 

Definitions based on symptoms and health care use

 

FICSIT definition

[56]

288

238

24.0% (57)

-

24.0% (57)

-

-

[59]

291

258

35.7% (92)

-

12.0% (31)

-

23.6%(61)11

 

Campbell et al. definition

[36]

233

240

45.8% (110)

-

10.4% (25)

35.4% (85)

-

[60]

152

358

40.5% (145)

-

9.5% (34)

31.0% (111)

-

[38]

391

443

51.5% (228)

-

6.8% (30)

44.7% (198)

25.5%(113)11

[37]

312

584

55.8% (326)

-

3.6% (21)

52.2% (305)

-

[61]

240

189

48.1% (91)

-

5.8% (11)

42.3% (80)

23.3% (44)11

 

Other definition

[63]

547

1299

40.3% (523)

-

4.2% (54)

-

-

[64]

3.182

3.814

30.5% (1.163)

5.1%(193)3

-

-

14.6% (558)11

2.9%(111)12

[66]

188

111

21.6% (24)

-

2.7% (3)

18.9% (21)

17.1%(19)12

[67]

70

546

14.6% (80)

0.4%(2)1

3.3%(18)2

-

-

-

[68]

1.090

1.448

55.5% (804)

-

-

-

8.6% (124)13

 

Definitions based only on health care use

[70]

27

23

30.4% (7)

-

-

-

30.4% (7)14

[74]

3.139

3.776

21.7% (821)

-

-

-

21.7% (821)15

[75]

349

224

13.5% (47)

-

-

-

9.2%(32)16

4.3%(15)17

[76]

392

820

12.2% (100)

-

-

-

12.2%(100)12,16,17

Range:

3.6-63.5%

0.4-11.3%

2.7-24.0%

18.1-52.2%

2.9-30.4%

CV:

50.1%

51.5 18

68.0%

35.4%

46.8%

  1. Displayed are falls (number) and injurious falls (proportion = injurious falls/falls * 100; number) as reported in the RCTs. Injurious falls data are given for the following categories: total, fracture, serious, moderate, healthcare use
  2. n = number; AIS = Abbreviated Injury Scale; FICSIT = Frailty and Injuries: Cooperative Studies of Intervention Techniques. CV = Coefficient of variation [(SD/mean) × 100]) as a measure of the variability (%) of injurious falls outcomes between studies. 1Hip fracture; 2other fracture (except hip); 3fracture type not specified; 4hip or other femoral fractures; 5vertebral or wrist fracture; 6pain, injury, medical help required; 7Injuries; no fracture; 8bruise, abrasion or muscle injury without fracture, results are not included in analysis as only fractures were defined; 9superficial wounds and bruises; 10pain, minor injury, friends help needed, Bruises and no help needed; 11medical care; 12hospitalised falls; 13medical treatment; 14hospitalisation, emergency department visits or physician visits; 15medical attention; 16general practitioner surgery; 17accident and emergency department; 18total fracture incidence per study
  3. For the following reference calculation of the proportion of injurious falls is not possible as data on the number of falls and/or number of injurious falls are not available: [44, 45, 50–53, 57, 58, 65, 69, 71–73]. Reference [39] uses the same data as [36] and is therefore not included in the table
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BMC Medical Research Methodology

ISSN: 1471-2288

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