Risk factors responsible for patients' falls

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Patient Safety
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Hospitalized adults are at risk for falls, leading to potential injuries and increased healthcare costs.
• Identifying intrinsic risk factors is crucial for developing targeted fall prevention strategies in general hospitals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine intrinsic factors contributing to falls among hospitalized adults.
• To analyze the association between patient characteristics, medical conditions, medications, and fall incidence.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 214 hospitalized patients (108 fallers, 106 non-fallers).
• Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate 23 potential risk factors.
• Statistical significance was assessed using p-values.

Main Results:

• Seven factors significantly increased fall risk: male gender (p=0.0022), age ≥65 (p=0.00426), cardiac conditions (p=0.0062), neoplasms (p=0.0334), anemias (p=0.0128), post-operative status (p=0.0063), and hypnotic/tranquilizer drug use (p=0.0486).
• Falls were most frequent within the first 4 days of admission and during early morning hours (5-6 am).
• Common injuries included bruises (32.4%), minor injuries (24%), major injuries (16.7%), and fractures (10.2%).

Conclusions:

• Male gender, advanced age, specific comorbidities (cardiac, neoplasms, anemias, post-operative), and psychotropic medication use are significant intrinsic risk factors for falls in hospitalized patients.
• Early identification and management of these factors are essential for effective hospital fall prevention programs.