Fall risk associated with inpatient medications

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Pharmacology
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Hospital falls are a significant patient safety concern.
• Medication use is a potential contributing factor to fall risk in hospitalized patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association between inpatient medication use and the risk of falls among hospitalized patients.
• To compare medication profiles of patients who experienced falls with those who did not.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective, case-control study design was employed.
• Patients experiencing falls (case group) were matched with controls who did not fall based on age, sex, admission date, care unit, and length of stay.
• Medication data were collected within 48 hours prior to the fall event or designated time.

Main Results:

• A significantly higher number of central nervous system (CNS) agents were administered to patients who fell compared to the control group (p = 0.017).
• No significant differences were observed in the use of other drug classes or the total number of medications between the case and control groups.

Conclusions:

• Central nervous system (CNS) medications are significantly associated with an increased risk of falls in hospitalized patients.
• Targeting CNS medication management may be a strategy to reduce fall incidents in healthcare settings.