RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF IDENTIFICATION BRACELETS TO PREVENT FALLS AMONG PATIENTS IN A REHABILITATION HOSPITAL

This purpose of this study was to determine whether an identification bracelet is effective in preventing falls among high-risk patients who are undergoing in-patient physical rehabilitation. A stratified, rand omized, balanced controlled clinical trial was conducted; participants were blinded as to the outcome and the study hypothesis. All patients having one or more risk factors that predisposed them to falls were r andomized to receive either a blue identification bracelet or no brace let. The identification bracelet was intended to increase patients' vi gilance about falling. Two risk strata were specified. The high risk s tratum consisted of patients with stroke or ataxia, urinary incontinen ce, or a history of falls. The low risk stratum comprised patients old er than 80 years and those on one or more medications that had been id entified an contributing to an individual's risk of falling. This repo rt presents the effect of the identification bracelet only among perso ns in the high-risk stratum. Over 1 year, 65 high-risk subjects were r andomized to receive the blue identification bracelet and 69 high-risk subjects were controls. In the intervention group, 27 persons (41%) f ell at least once, whereas in the control group 21 persons (30%) fell at least once yielding a hazard ratio of 1.3 (95% confidence interval: 0.8 to 2.4). These results suggest that the identification system was of no benefit in preventing falls among high-risk persons.