Factors affecting adherence to use of hip protectors amongst residents of nursing homes--a correlation study.

Background: Hip protectors are protective pads designed to cover the greater trochanter and attenuate or disperse the force of a fall sufficiently to prevent a hip fracture. Promising results from randomised controlled trials in nursing homes have resulted in hip protectors being widely recommended in the health care literature and in national guidelines.

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to identify characteristics of individual residents, and the organisational features of the homes in which they live, which may affect adherence to wearing hip protectors.

A cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate a policy of making hip protectors available to residents of nursing homes.

Objectives: to evaluate the effectiveness of a policy of making hip protectors available to residents of nursing homes.

Design: a cluster randomised controlled trial of the policy in nursing and residential homes, with the home as the unit of randomisation.

Setting: 127 nursing and residential homes in the greater Belfast area of Northern Ireland.