Introduction: Elderly persons have higher risk for falls, compared to younger population. Although no single risk factor causes all falls, a great deal of risk factors to which an individual is exposed, i.e. osteoporosis, lack of physical activity, impaired vision, usage of drugs, living settings etc, can be treated. Objective: To investigate the risk for falls in elderly patients treated in Family medicine teaching center (ECPM), Primary Health Care Center Banja Luka. Method: This prospective study was conducted in June 2012. The study included 150 patients aged 65 years and older. Patients were chosen randomly. In study were included patients who have visited their family doctors on every of Mondays in June 2012. The Tinetti Gait and Balance Instrument was used to asses the risk for falls. Patients were examined to asses gait and balance according to Tinetti questionnaire, and supplementary questionnaire was created to record data about age, sex, chronic diseases and drugs that patients take. Results: The study included 91 (60.7%) female and 59 (39.3%) male patients. The average age of patients was 74.71 years. 77 (51.3%) were aged 65 to 75 years and 73 (48.7%) were more than 75 years old. Results of Tinetti Gait and Balance Instrument showed that the risk for falls was high in 55 (36.7%), moderate in 31 (20.7%) and low in 64 (42.7%) patients. Conclusion: Approximately, one third of investigated patients had high risk for falls, what indicates that family doctors should be more involved in fall prevention in elderly and in constant educating of older adults and their families.

INTRODUCTION The burnout syndrome is a response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors which are related to workplace. Medicine is one of the professions at the greatest risk of suffering from burnout syndrome. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of stress and burnout syndrome in relation with age and length of service in the family medicine physicians in the Republic of Srpska. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study was carried out on the basis of a questionnaire survey among family medicine physicians in seven Primary Health Care Centres in the Republic of Srpska from February 1st to April 30th 2010. The participants fulfilled the questionnaire for self-assessment of stress level and the Maslach Burnout Inventory, which were amended with data regarding age, sex, length of service and educational and vocational level. RESULTS The study included 199 (83.3%) female and 40 (16.7%) male participants. The physicians aged over 46 years and with the length of service over 21 years had statistically significant higher level of stress and emotional exhaustion than younger participants and participants with shorter length of service. CONCLUSION Age and length of service have important influence on the level of stress and burnout syndrome: the older the physicians and the higher the length of service the higher the level of stress and the higher the risk of burnout syndrome.