Point prevalence of suboptimal footwear features among ambulant older hospital patients: implications for fall prevention.

Conclusions Admitted patients frequently use footwear with 'suboptimal' features for ambulation in hospital. While some footwear options (for example well-fitting slippers) could be suited for limited in-hospital ambulation, others are clearly hazardous and might cause falls. Since footwear choices are influenced by multiple factors in this population, footwear education strategies alone may be insufficient to address the problem of hazardous footwear in at-risk patients. Footwear requirements may be more effectively addressed within a multidisciplinary team approach encompassing foot health, mobility and safety.What is known about the topic? Accidental falls while ambulating are an important health and safety concern for older people. Because certain footwear characteristics have been negatively linked to posture and balance, and specific footwear types linked to falls among seniors, the use of footwear with fewer suboptimal characteristics is generally recommended as a means of reducing the risk of falling. While footwear usage and choices have been explored in older people in the community and in residential care settings, there is little comparable data on acutely unwell older hospital patients.What does this paper add? This paper provides prevalence data on the use of footwear with suboptimal characteristics among ambulant older hospital patients, and identifies concurrent factors that may be relevant to patient footwear choices.What are the implications for practitioner...
Source: Australian Health Review - Category: Hospital Management Authors: Tags: Aust Health Rev Source Type: research