Fear of Falling and Its Contributing Factors in the Elderly with the History of Orthopedic Surgery

Old age is associated with several health threats, including falls, with fear of falling considered to be one of its major complications, especially after orthopedic surgeries, which may lead to limited daily activities, isolationism, and lack of social participation. The present study aimed to assess the fear of falling and its contributing factors in the elderly patients with the history of falls following orthopedic surgeries, who referred to the orthopedic clinics of selected hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences. This cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 280 elderly patients referring to the clinics of the hospitals in Tehran, Iran. The patients were selected via convenience sampling. Data were collected using the abbreviated mental test (AMT), a demographic questionnaire, and the falls efficacy scale instrument (FES-I), which were completed via face-to-face interviews with the elderly. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 20 using descriptive and inferential statistics, independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and linear regression analysis at the significance level of P≤0.05. The mean age of the elderly was 69.50±4.29 years, and 65% and 35% of the patients were female and male, respectively. The results of Pearson's correlation-coefficient indicated a direct correlation between the fear of falling and age (P=0.008; r=0.159). Direct, significant correlations were also observed between the fear of falling and hypertension, the number of the used medications, and pelvic fractures (P<0.05). In addition, 97.9% of the patients had more than one orthopedic surgery, which was directly correlated with the fear of falling. According to the results, the frequency of fear of falling in the elderly with the history of orthopedic surgeries was significantly high. Considering the adverse outcomes of the fear of falling in elderly patients, it is recommended that counseling training programs be planned for the elderly patients after orthopedic surgeries for the health promotion of these individuals and active old age, as well as the reduction of the fear of falling in elderly patients.