Oncology Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Oncology, including details on cancer, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy.

Risk Items Associated With Patient Falls in Oncology and Medical Settings.

Oʼconnell BO, Baker L, Gaskin CJ, Hawkins MT

Deakin-Southern Health Nursing Research Centre (Drs OʼConnell and Gaskin); and the Cabrini-Deakin Centre for Nursing Research (Ms Baker and Dr Hawkins), Melbourne, Australia.

The aim of this study was to determine whether items on a falls risk-assessment tool, made up of brief cognitive and physical measures that nurses use in practice, differentiated fallers and nonfallers in oncology and medical settings. A measure of leg muscle strength clearly distinguished between fallers and nonfallers, with the latter having stronger leg muscles. For nursing practice, the assessment of patients' muscle strength seems to be the most useful scale for identifying potential fallers.

Published 13 March 2007 in J Nurs Care Qual, 22(2): 130-137.
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