Scientific production on falls and deaths among elderly persons: a bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Abstract Objective: To map international scientific production on falls and deaths among the elderly. Method: A bibliometric study of academic papers was carried out in the ISI Web of Knowledge/Web of ScienceTM. The search terms "elderly*", "fall*" and "death*" were used for studies between 1990 and 2016. Articles from events or those still in the editing process and studies in the form of "conference proceedings", "editorial material" and "letters" were excluded, with only finished studies and complete "articles" and "reviews" considered. Results: After applying the refinement filters, 668 articles were identified during the 26 year evaluation period, published in 364 different journals indexed to the database in question. These were written by 2,958 authors with links to 1131 research institutions located in 63 countries. The articles included 22,093 references, with an average of approximately 33 references per study. Conclusion: The articles on falls and deaths among the elderly emphasize the need for more specific studies on the subject and its potential for exploration in future research. This study revealed the need for this issue to be discussed in the training of health professionals, as it represents an opportunity to deconstruct and reconstruct concepts and values that are established throughout the life of individuals, such as care related to the avoidability of falls, to improve the quality of life of this population.

Keywords

• Health of the Elderly
• Accidental Falls
• Mortality
• Bibliometrics.