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Purpose : The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors for falls in tertiary hospital inpatients and to suggest data for developing a nursing intervention program for preventing falls. Methods: Data were collected between January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2017. Kaplan-Meier estimation was used to measure the survival rate, and the log-rank test was used for the differences between the fall group and the non-fall group. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify the risk factors for falls. Results: The incidence rate of falls for the inpatients was 1.2 cases per 1,000 days of hospitalization. The risk factors for falls were more likely to be found among those who were aged ≥81, had not undergone surgery, had poor joint motion, had unsteady gait, needed help or supervision, used assistive devices, had comorbidity, and took at least two drugs. Conclusion: For the inpatients, the risk factors for falls included age, surgery, comorbidity, medication that could change mobility, joint motion, and use of patient care equipment. It is necessary to give special attention to inpatients who have any of these risk factors and to develop a falls risk assessment tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic degenerative disease, and its prevalence increases with age. For patients with symptomatic OA, pharmacological treatment is suggested if symptoms and function do not improve with nonpharmacological modalities, including exercise, devices, manual therapy, or self-management programs. Attempts have been made to develop medications that prevent the structural progression of OA; however, the pharmacological treatment of OA has focused on the management of pain to improve the functional ability of joints. Clinicians try to prescribe adequate classes and doses of medications for pain relief, considering the affected parts of joints, each patient's comorbidities, and the clinical response to medical treatment, including tolerability and side effects. It is important to titrate the dose of medications as patients' symptoms change over time, maintaining the lowest effective dose for each individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]