Proposed Topic (Most preferred): :
Clinical Safety and Quality Service III (Projects aiming at quality service to patients and their carers)
Authors (including presenting author) :
Li PM, So YC, Chow WK, Wong MY, Wong SY, Ho CM & Au KM
Affiliation :
Department of Occupational Therapy, Tai Po Hospital
Introduction :
Around 95% of hip fracture was caused by fall. A Hong Kong version of Lifestyle-integrated Functional Exercise (HK-LiFE) for fall prevention was validated in 2017, which was commonly used in out-patient and day-patient services. Hip fracture can be a challenging and concerning situation, in-patient LiFE program was therefore established for enhancement of fall prevention management.
Objectives :
To investigate the effectiveness of using HK-LiFE for fall prevention in in-patient rehabilitation settings for patients with hip fracture.
Methodology :
Patients admitted to Tai Po Hospital with 1) hip fracture, 2) HK-MoCA was above 7th percentile and 3) activities of daily living with mild assistance were recruited. Average 6 sessions of individual HK-LiFE training focusing on balance and strengthening which incorporated in daily activities were practiced for each patient during hospital stay. Each training session lasted for 20 minutes. HK-LiFE training videos were prescribed via HA Go (Hospital Authority App).
Short Physical Performance Battery, Modified Barthel Index, Lawton IADL and Fall Efficacy Scale were measured before and immediately after the program.
Result & Outcome :
Total 29 patients were recruited from July 2022 – December 2023. The mean age was 74.1 years (SD=7.3) with 55 % being male. 45% of the patients fell due to a loss of balance on slippery floor and 14% fell due to lower limb weakness. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test was used. Significant improvement was seen in Modified Barthel Index (P < 0.001), Short Physical Performance Battery (P < 0.001) and Lawton IADL (P< 0.05). No statistical significance was noted in Fall Efficacy Scale (P = 0.288).
To conclude, the HK-LiFE program for patients with hip fracture has shown to be effective in improving ADL, IADL and physical performance. In order to further improve patients’ fall efficacy, fall prevention education groups were initiated in the program for patient empowerment and better fall prevention management.
