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Research Studies:

AGGRESSIVE PAIN MANAGEMENT SPEEDS POSTOP RECOVERY

Published on Thu Feb 12, 2009 Print Friendly and PDF PDF

Elder abuse study may surprise you.

Teaching patients how to get up after falls should be part of falls prevention. That's what researchers are telling clinicians.

A recent study also emphasized the importance of making sure patients can effectively use their personal alarms.

The study investigating time on the floor and use of alarms after a fall was reported in the Nov. 17, 2008 issue of the online journal BMJ. Lying on the floor for an extended period after a fall was more common than expected among the patients in this study--who were all over 90. Most of the patients had access to alarm systems, with over half having personal alarms, the authors report. But they used the alarm in only 20 percent of the fall episodes.

Resources: For more information go to www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/337/nov17_1/a2227.

Other Research You Can Use

Here are three other recently reported studies you should know about:

• Less postoperative pain, less chronic pain and improved function -- what's not to like? Aggressive pain management for elderly patients in the first week after orthopedic surgery may decrease their likelihood of developing chronic postoperative pain, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of the American Geriatric Association. The study also reports a shorter rehabilitation time, less pain at rest, and less pain at discharge for these patients. Further information is at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121598297/issue.

• Dementia patients subject to abuse. Half of all family caregivers of elderly patients with dementia report some abusive behavior toward those patients, according to a study to determine the prevalence of abusive behavior among family caregivers, published in the Jan. 22 issue of the online journal BMJ. And one-third admitted to abusive behavior "at least sometimes" in the past three months, primarily verbal abuse, the study shows. For more information go to www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/338/jan22_2/b155.

• 7 percent of patients consume 25 percent of resources. Medicare beneficiaries who need help with three or more activities of daily living cost almost 4.5 percent more per person annually, according to researchers at Washington,D.C.-based Avalere Health (www.avalerehealth.net). These patients make up only 7 percent of the Medicare population, but consume about 25 percent of Medicare Part A and B spending, Avalere reports. "Any attempt to reform the healthcare system must address the post-acute care environment and care of beneficiaries who need these services," Avalere analysts contend. The research was funded by Long Beach, Calif.-based SCAN Foundation.

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