2014-02-01
Four-wheeled walker related injuries in older adults in the Netherlands
Publication
Publication
Injury Prevention , Volume 20 - Issue 1 p. 11- 15
ABSTRACT
Background
With ageing populations worldwide,
mobility devices are used more than ever. In the current
literature there is no consensus whether the available
mobility devices safely improve the mobility of their
users. Also, evidence is lacking concerning the risks and
types of injuries sustained while using a four-wheeled
walker.
Objective
To assess injury risks and injury patterns in
older adults (≥65 years) who presented at Emergency
Departments (ED) in the Netherlands with an injury due
to using a four-wheeled walker.
Design and setting
In this study, the Dutch Injury
Surveillance System was used to obtain a national
representative sample of annual ED visits in the
Netherlands in the adult population (≥65 years)
sustaining an injury while using a four-wheeled walker.
The numbers of four-wheeled walker users in the
Netherlands were obtained from the national insurance
board. The numbers of ED visits were divided by the
numbers of four-wheeled walker users to calculate ageand
sex-specific injury risks.
Results
Annually 1869 older adults visited an ED after
sustaining an injury while using a four-wheeled walker.
Falls were the main cause of injury (96%). The injury
risk was 3.1 per 100 users of four-wheeled walkers.
Women (3.5 per 100 users) had a higher risk than men
(2.0 per 100 users). Injury risk was the highest in
women aged 85 years and older (6.2 per 100 users).
The majority of injuries were fractures (60%) with hip
fracture (25%) being the most common injury. Nearly
half of all four-wheeled walker related injuries required
hospitalisation, mostly due to hip fractures. Healthcare
costs per injury were approximately €12 000.
Conclusions
This study presents evidence that older
adults experiencing a fall while using a four-wheeled
walker are at high risk to suffer severe injuries.
Additional Metadata | |
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doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2012-040593, hdl.handle.net/1765/65682 | |
Surgery and Traumatology | |
Injury Prevention | |
Organisation | Department of Surgery |
van Riel, K. M. M., Hartholt, K., Panneman, M., Patka, P., van Beeck, E., & van der Cammen, T. (2014). Four-wheeled walker related injuries in older adults in the Netherlands. Injury Prevention, 20(1), 11–15. doi:10.1136/injuryprev-2012-040593 |