3.1. Study Design
This descriptive study was conducted in autumn and
winter of 2013 in the trauma emergency ward of Shahid
Beheshti Hospital in Kashan, Iran. It is the only general
hospital in Kashan city and provides medical care for
about 400000 populations, and all serious injuries in
this area are referred to this hospital.
3.2. Subjects
Sampling population were elderly with limb trauma referring
to emergency ward of Shahid Beheshti Hospital.
Sample size was calculated based on the formula (ZS/E)2
with an alpha of 0.05, sampling error of 2 and estimated
standard deviation of ADL one month after limb trauma
as 14 according to a pilot study performed previously on
20 patients. Therefore, 188 subjects were estimated to be
needed; however, 200 subjects entered sequentially to
the study to compensate possible attrition. The inclusion
criteria were age over 60 years, no history of dementia,
ability to respond to questionnaires, and independence
in activities of daily living before injury. The exclusion criterion
was refusal of subjects to continue the study.