|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEW YORK, Mar 29 (Reuters Health) - Seniors who exercise at home with a trained nurse are less likely to suffer costly, debilitating falls, according to two studies by New Zealand researchers.
In one study, a trained district nurse from a home health service prescribed an exercise program individually to patients in their homes, while in the other study, a nurse taught seniors at general practice centers. People in both studies were asked to exercise for 30 minutes three times a week and to walk twice a week, and were monitored for a full year.
Both studies were the first to look at the cost of exercise programs to prevent falls in regular healthcare settings, according to lead author M. Clare Robertson of Otago Medical School in Dunedin, New Zealand. The reports are published in the March 24th issue of the British Medical Journal.
In the first study, a community health nurse taught 121 seniors exercises to improve muscle strength and balance, while 119 received usual care. Seniors received five home visits from the nurse in the first 8 weeks, and another visit at 6 months. During months when no home visit was scheduled, the nurse contacted patients by phone.
Among the 113 who completed the study, 43% exercised three or more times a week and 71% walked at least twice a week.
The home-based instruction program reduced falls by 46%. While five people in the control group were admitted to the hospital for treatment after falling, none of the exercisers had to be hospitalized. The program cost about US$733 per fall prevented, and $63 when the researchers took into account the hospitalization costs averted by fall prevention.
In the second trial, 330 patients received training at one of three different hospital centers and 120 patients did not receive training. Of the 265 exercisers who completed the trial, 43% exercised three or more times a week and 63% walked at least twice a week.
The program reduced falls by 30%, and cost US$170 per person or $617 for each fall prevented.
"Hospital costs were not reduced, however, and therefore the (second) programme was not as cost effective as the first trial," Robertson and colleagues report.
SOURCE: British Medical Journal 2001:322:697-704.
| Health Topics | Drug Information | Dictionaries | Directories | Other Resources |
|
U.S. National Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894
Copyright and Privacy Policy, We welcome your comments. Last updated: 30 March 2001 |