Falls and fractures in the elderly: is the quality of sleep a variable to be considered?

Abstract

Introduction and Objective: Changes in sleep quality related to the natural process of aging and health represent today an important public health issue, despite the slight attention that it is target. Many cases of falls in the elderly are closely related to the functional and cognitive decline, generating significant consequences for the physical and mental health of these individuals. The fractures and their possible complications, commonly leads to loss of autonomy and self-confidence. Early recognition and proper use of such issues by health professionals, may significantly improve the quality of life of those patients, decreasing the probability of future falls and minimizing the financial impact within the public health system. Despite its high prevalence, falls in elderly are still not completed treated. It is essential that health professionals may track and be aware of how to treat elderly patients with impaired sleep quality, preventing standing falls. Thus, the main goal of this research is to correlate standing falls with the quality of the sleep/rest of individuals over 65 years old, by application of standardized questionnaires validated in Portuguese. Patients and Methods: Consecutive patients will be selected, with different personal, socio-cultural and professional characteristics, from the department of Orthopaedics, Traumatology and Sports Medicine of the Marilia State Medical School, with fracture diagnosis (IDC-10: "S"), related to standing falls. It will be included in this study, all the patients over 65 years old, with fractures from standing falls, without known cause. It will be excluded from this study, patients with limited independent movement; patients with uncontrolled systemic diseases that may trigger or aggravate the chances of falling, such as diabetes, hypertension, hypothyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, psychiatric disorders. Assessment scales (Pittsburgh, Epworth and FES-I) will be applied to all the participants, always by the same members of the research team (undergraduate medical students). At the end of the study, researchers will have at least 132 questionnaires to be submitted statistical analysis. The results of the statistical analysis will be presented in tables and charts containing descriptive measures of central tendency (statistical average) and variability (standard deviation), with their respective indicators of significance.Key words: falls, fracture, injures, sleep, elderly, orthopedics, hospitalization.