Preventing falls on an elderly care rehabilitation ward

Objective: Comparison of two flooring types - carpet and vinyl - In the bed areas, and two modes of physiotherapy - conventional therapy and additiona l leg strengthening exercises - in avoiding falls. Design: Randomized 2 x 2 controlled trial. Setting: Elderly care rehabilitation ward in a community hospital. Subjects: Fifty-four consecutive patients referred for rehabilitation. Outcome measures: The incidence of falls, and the change in strength. Results. There were 10 falls on carpet, and only a single fall on vinyl flo or covering (relative risk 8.3, 95% confidence interval 0.95-73, p = 0.05). There were four falls in those receiving additional exercise, and seven fa lls in those receiving only conventional physiotherapy (relative risk 0.21, 95% confidence interval 0.04-1.2, p = 0.12). Fifty-nine per cent of patien ts were able to complete strength measurements on admission and discharge. In these, handgrip strength improved more In those given additional exercis e than conventional physiotherapy (2.1 kg versus -0.3 kg, p < 0.05). Conclusion: There is no evidence to supper? either intervention In preventi ng fails on a rehabilitation ward, but within this low-powered study, there was a strong trend towards vinyl being superior.