Accidents in the institutionalized elderly: injuries and consequences.

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Long-term care facilities face a high incidence of patient accidents.
• Understanding accident patterns is crucial for implementing effective safety measures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the incidence, types, and circumstances of accidents in a somatic long-term care hospital and its nursing homes.
• To identify risk factors and consequences associated with these accidents in geriatric patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of accident data over one year.
• Inclusion of data from a somatic long-term care hospital and associated nursing homes.
• Categorization of accidents by severity, patient demographics, injury type, location, time, and staff presence.

Main Results:

• A total of 827 accidents (308 major, 519 minor) involving 588 patients were recorded.
• Accident incidence was nearly three times higher in nursing homes compared to the hospital.
• Falls were the leading cause, often occurring in patient rooms during daytime, with over 90% of incidents lacking staff presence.
• Fractures and hematomas were common in females, while open wounds predominated in males; hip fractures were equally prevalent in both sexes, but extremity fractures were three times more common in women.
• Two-thirds of severely injured patients required emergency transfer for surgery, and major accidents correlated with a higher six-month mortality rate.

Conclusions:

• Geriatric patients in long-term care settings experience a high rate of accidents, particularly falls, with significant medical and functional consequences.
• Nursing homes present a higher risk environment compared to hospitals.
• Urgent implementation of targeted measures is required to reduce accident rates and improve patient safety in these facilities.