• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.149-159
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• 2015

Purpose: This study aimed to identify falls and related risks of hospitalized patients in order to provide an baseline data to develop effective nursing intervention programs for fall prevention. Methods: The data on 120 patients who experienced falls from 2010 to 2013 during their hospitalization were collected from the patient' electronic medical records of an university hospital. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics using SPSS/WIN 20.0. Results: Over 60% of the patients who experienced falls during their hospitalization was 65 years or older, and most of them had hypertension. Majority of the subjects needed help to perform daily activities (64%) and complained of general weakness (49.2%). Prior to the falls, the patients were taking average 2.52 medications to treat hypertension. The Fall accident was mostly frequently occurred in their hospital room (59.2%), or in bed (44.2%). The patients aged 70 years and older were significantly less alert than younger group, and taking more cardiovascular medications. Most fall risk factors were not significantly different for age, gender, and department category. Conclusion: The study findings suggest the need to emphasize the nurses to be more actively aware of fall risk factors and to provide aggressive interventions for preventing falls in hospitalized patients.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.155-164
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the influences of health beliefs on fall prevention behavior among adult patients who had abdominal surgery. Methods: Data were collected from 136 patients who had undergone an abdominal surgery within the past 5 days. The data collection period was from September 21 to October 25, 2017. The health belief measurement tool, modified and reviewed by experts, and the fall prevention guideline developed by the Korean Nurses Association and revised by Park were used. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation and stepwise multiple regression analysis. Results: The Health Belief Model explained 45.7% of the variance in fall prevention behavior among adult patients who had abdominal surgery. Perceived susceptibility and perceived benefits had significant influence on fall-prevention behavior. Conclusion: Tailored educational programs which put emphasis on the perceived susceptibility and perceived benefits of fall prevention need to be developed.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.443-453
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• 2001

Purpose: To identify age, gender, medication, seasons and place of fall, and areas of the fractures from the fall among the hospitalized elderly patients in order to provide the basic data for future fall prevention program for the elderly. Methods: This study was conducted for 106 elderly patients admitted into a university hospital by fractures from the fall during the period from January 1, 1999 to December 31, 1999. Data on the age, gender, medication, season and place of the fall, areas of the fracture were collected based on their medical records. Result: The age range of the subjects were from 60 to 96 years old. The subjects were aged between 60-69 years old 49(46.2%), between 70-79 years old 31(29.2%), between 80-89 years old 24(22.6%), and over 90 years old 2(1.9%). Male patients comprised was 34(28.3%), while female patients comprised 76(71.7%). The fall occurred in Winter most frequently 34(32%). The place of the fall included room 81(76.4%), streets 13(12.3%), bathroom 6(5.7%), stair 4(3.8%), and mountain 2(1.9%). Twenty-two subjects (20.8%) had medication regularly, while 84 subjects (79.2%) had no medication. The areas of the fracture from the fall included upper extremities 20(18.9%) and lower extremities 86(81.1%). Radius fracture (7.5%) was the area where the fracture occurred most frequently in upper extremities and femur fracture (52.8%) was the area where the fracture occurred most frequently in lower extremities. A significant difference was found in the fracture area by age, season and place of the fall (p<.05). No significant difference was found in the fracture area by gender and medication. In all age groups, seasons and places of the fall, occurrence of fracture in lower extremity was significantly higher than that in upper extremity.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.264-274
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was done to determine inpatient fall rates in an acute hospital setting and to explore risk factors and characteristics across clinical departments. Methods: The medical records and standardized fall reports of 416 patients admitted between January 1 and December 31, 2012 were reviewed. Descriptive statistics and statistical tests were used, including: t-test, ${\chi}^2$-test, ANOVA. Results: The total fall rate per 1,000 inpatient days was 0.49. Fall rate, fall risk factors and characteristics such as age, type of fallers and mean MFS (Morse Fall Scale) differed significantly among clinical departments. Conclusions: The analysis results show that the fall rates, fall risk factors and characteristics of acute hospital inpatient falls varied significantly across clinical departments. The findings of this study suggest that hospitals should consider differences in fall related characteristics across clinical departments when implementation fall prevention strategies and interventions.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.102-111
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the effects of a fall prevention education on the fall-related knowledge, prevention activity of the elderly hospitalized in internal medicine department. Methods: A nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used for this study. A total of 44 patients of the elderly hospitalized in internal medicine department were randomly divided into the experimental group (n=22) and the control group (n=22). The experimental group received about an half hour, fall prevention education at the admission day, 3days and 5days after admission, while the control group received the usual care. The outcome variables were measured before and after fall prevention education. Data were analyzed with $x^2$-test and t-test by using SPSS 12. Results: The experimental group showed significant improvement in fall-related knowledge and prevention activity. Conclusion: The fall prevention education was effective in increasing fall-related knowledge and prevention activity of the elderly hospitalized in internal medicine department. For reducing fall events, it is important to educate the elderly hospitalized about fall-related knowledge and prevention activity related to fall.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.27-37
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine the effects of a fall prevention program on gait, balance and falls efficacy in stroke patients Methods: The study utilized a non-equivalent control group pretest and post test design. Subjects were contacted at the oriental medicine ward of D hospital in B city for strokes. The subjects were 25 in the experimental group and 25 in the control group. The fall prevention program consists of fall related exercises and fall related education. Collected data were analyzed using a t-test, Chi-Square test, Fisher's exact test by SPSS 14.0 Win program. Results: The fall prevention program with exercises and education used in this study was found to be very effective in increasing gait, balance and falls efficacy in patients with stroke. Conclusion: The fall prevention program used in this study seems appropriate for stroke patients. Thus, further research to refine the efficacy and application of this program is warranted.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.498-507
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of thoracic flexibility exercise on sitting balance, static standing balance, gait parameters, and the fall risk of patients with chronic stroke. The participants were randomized into the control (n=12) and thoracic flexibility exercise groups (n=12). Both groups received standard rehabilitation therapy for 30 minutes per session. The subjects in the experimental group performed additional thoracic flexibility exercises 3 times a week for 6 weeks. The trunk impairment scale, static standing balance, gait speed, cadence, and fall risk were assessed for all the participants before and after the intervention. The thoracic flexibility exercise group showed greater improvement than did the control group on the trunk impairment scale (t=-3.57, p=.002), static standing balance (t=5.37, p<.001), gait speed (t=-3.29, p=.003), cadence (t=-2.77, p=.011), and fall risk (t=6.33, p<.001). Furthermore, the thoracic flexibility exercise group significantly improved all the outcomes compared to the baseline values (P<.05). This study showed that the thoracic flexibility exercise improved the functional ability of patients with chronic stroke.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.420-430
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• 2017

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore characteristics of and risk factors for accidental inpatient falls. Methods: Participants were classified as fallers or non-fallers based on the fall history of inpatients in a tertiary hospital in Seoul between June 2014 and May 2015. Data on falls were obtained from the fall report forms and data on risk factors were obtained from the electronic nursing records. Characteristics of fallers and non-fallers were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Risk factors for falls were identified using univariate analyses and logistic regression analysis. Results: Average length of stay prior to the fall was 21.52 days and average age of fallers was 61.37 years. Most falls occurred during the night shifts and in the bedroom and were due to sudden leg weakness during ambulation. It was found that gender, BMI, physical problems such elimination, gait, vision and hearing and medications such as sleeping pills, antiarrhythmics, vasodilators, and muscle relaxant were statistically significant factors affecting falls. Conclusion: The findings show that there are significant risk factors such as BMI and history of surgery which are not part of fall assessment tools. There are also items on fall assessment tools which are not found to be significant such as mental status, emotional unstability, dizziness, and impairment of urination. Therefore, these various risk factors should be examined in the fall risk assessments and these risk factors should be considered in the development of fall assessment tools.

• Journal of Advanced Navigation Technology
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.458-463
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• 2015

This paper suggests detection system for the movement of patient on bed based on IEEE802.15.4 by using pressure pad and guard sensor. The system is designed to detect ordinary activities of patients on bed as well as patients' falling from the bed while sleeping at night. The node that is installed at bed sends data to gather when the pressure pad and sensor of guard detect patients' activities and falling. These data sent to gather are transmitted to monitor at help desk by TCP/IP communication. To remove unnecessary data that occurred due to switch chattering during tossing and turning, timer of MCU is used. Also, Communication module can change transmission power to apply this system to various environments of hospital room. Therefore, the nurse can take care of patients on bed in real time with data about patients' conditions.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.619-625
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• 2023

In this paper, the remote care of medical beds with multiple body pressure sensors is described. Falling is one of the factors that seriously threaten the safety of patients and harm their health. In this study, a new bed was developed to overcome this. The bed system consists of a keyboard that can operate, a keyboard controller that manages the movement of the keyboard, a sensor that measures body pressure, a sensor controller that transmits and receives sensor values, a main controller that checks it and operates automatically or manually according to the algorithm, and a server that oversees all these information. The bed system checks the patient's location through a sensor and wirelessly alerts the server through the main controller when the patient determines that there is a risk of falling, so that the nurse or nurse can recognize the patient's dangerous condition. The server may receive state data transmitted from the wired/wireless terminal to monitor whether the bed system is operating normally. The controller of the keyboard operates a keyboard-type mechanism and automatically controls the prevention of bedsores connected by body pressure sensors to physically separate the area to which the patient's pressure is applied to prevent bedsores. The main controller checks the presence of the patient's bed and transmits it to the server. In conclusion, the proposed system can smart monitor the user's state and perform remote care.