• Zeliha Koç, Ayşegül Memiş, and Zeynep Sağlam.
• 1Ondokuz Mayıs University Health Science Faculty, Ondokuz Mayis University Campus, Samsun, Turkey; 2Gazi State Hospital, Samsun, Turkey.
• Acta Clin Croat. 2020 Jun 1; 59 (2): 199-208.

AbstractThis study was carried out to determine the prevalence of falls, their etiology and risk factors in neurological patients admitted to the hospital in northern Turkey. A cross-sectional, descriptive design was used. Data were collected by survey that identified socio-demographic and clinical features of the subjects, Hendrich II fall risk model and Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Study results revealed approximately one-third of the study patients (33.1%) to have sustained falls before. Concerning the timing of falls, 24.9% of these incidents had occurred within the last year. The most common reason for falling was dizziness (14.3%). The mean score on the Hendrich II fall risk model was 2.7±0.1 for those who had fallen and 2.3±0.1 for those who had not fallen. The respective mean BBS score was 20.7±1.9 and 18.4±1.3. It was found that approximately one-third of neurological patients had fallen before and had restricted their activities due to fear of falls; the great majority of them had a chronic disease and permanently used medicines; and the most important risk factors for falls were advanced age, fear of falls and impaired balance.

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