Impact of having a long lie after a fall.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Mixed methods study to understand the scale, impact and care trajectory for patients who have a long lie after a fall.
IRAS ID
336914
Contact name
Fiona Sampson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
59596, CPMS ID
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 3 months, 31 days
Research summary
When someone falls and can’t get up from the floor for over an hour this is called a long lie. In the over 65 age-group, 1 in 3 people will fall at least once a year and around 20% of these falls will result in a long lie. A long lie may lead to other problems, such as dehydration, pressure injuries and emotional distress. More demand for ambulances means that people who fall may wait longer for help and that more people may experience a long lie. Current advice to not give fluids or move people who have fallen is mainly focused on people who may have a hip fracture and need surgery. It also assumes an ambulance will arrive quickly. Most people who fall do not have a fractured hip and this advice may be harmful.
Our research aims to find out what happens to people who have a long lie and how best to help them when they wait for an ambulance. We will work with patients and the public and health and social care services to do the following research:
1. Use routine ambulance and hospital data to find out which patients have a long lie, what happens afterwards and which health services they use.
2. Apply standardised published NHS cost data to routine data to find out the costs of caring for people after a fall and a long lie.
3. Survey ambulance, residential and care home staff to find out how they manage people after a fall and what could be improved.
4. Speak to patients, relatives and carers to understand the impact of long lies on people’s lives.
5. Bring together patients and public, ambulance services and health and social care organisations to develop better guidance for managing people who have a long lie.REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/NE/0005
Date of REC Opinion
11 Mar 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion