Cummings S R, Nevitt M C, Kidd S
Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco 94143.
J Am Geriatr Soc. 1988 Jul;36(7):613-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1988.tb06155.x.
To determine how accurately elderly subjects recall recent falls, we studied 304 ambulatory men and women over the age of 60 years who completed a 12-month prospective study of risk factors for falling. We developed a system of weekly follow-up and home visits to record and confirm all falls. During the study, 179 participants suffered at least one fall that was confirmed by home visit. At the end of the study, all subjects were interviewed by telephone about whether they had suffered a fall during the preceding 3, 6, or 12 months. Depending on the time period of recall, 13% to 32% of those with confirmed falls did not recall falling during the specific period of time. Recall was better for the preceding 12 months than for 3 or 6 months. There were only weak correlations (r = 0.28 to 0.59) between the number of falls that were documented and the number that the subjects recalled during each of these periods. Those with lower scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination were more likely to forget falls. We conclude that elderly subjects often do not recall falls that occurred during specific periods of time over the preceding 3 to 12 months. Researchers and clinicians should consider using methods besides long-term recall for ascertaining and counting falls over specific periods of time.
为了确定老年受试者回忆近期跌倒情况的准确程度，我们对304名60岁以上的非卧床男性和女性进行了研究，这些受试者完成了一项为期12个月的跌倒风险因素前瞻性研究。我们建立了每周随访和家访制度，以记录和确认所有跌倒情况。在研究期间，179名参与者至少发生了一次经家访确认的跌倒。在研究结束时，通过电话对所有受试者进行询问，了解他们在之前3个月、6个月或12个月内是否跌倒过。根据回忆的时间段不同，在经确认发生过跌倒的受试者中，有13%至32%的人不记得在特定时间段内跌倒过。对前12个月的回忆情况比对3个月或6个月的回忆情况更好。在记录的跌倒次数与受试者在这些时间段内回忆起的跌倒次数之间，只有微弱的相关性（r = 0.28至0.59）。简易精神状态检查表得分较低的人更有可能忘记跌倒事件。我们得出结论，老年受试者常常不记得在之前3至12个月内特定时间段发生的跌倒。研究人员和临床医生在确定和统计特定时间段内的跌倒情况时，应考虑使用长期回忆之外的方法。
