Seasonal ambient changes influence inpatient falls

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Patient Safety
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Inpatient falls pose significant risks to patient well-being, particularly for older adults.
• Existing research identifies various fall risk factors, but the combined impact of behavioral and environmental influences requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between behavioral and ambient factors and inpatient falls.
• To analyze seasonal and diurnal variations in fall occurrences.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis of inpatient fall incident reports from April 2010 to March 2014.
• Investigation of correlations between falls and seasonal/diurnal variations in factors like sunrise time, night length, and temperature.

Main Results:

• 464 fallers were identified from 3,037 incident reports.
• Falls were more frequent around dawn from October to February and during nighttime (57.1%).
• Toileting was the most common activity associated with falls (56.9%), and longer night duration correlated with increased night falls (P=0.047).

Conclusions:

• Inpatient falls are more common in the early morning (November-March) and linked to toileting.
• Targeted interventions and support during high-risk times and seasons, especially for toileting, can potentially decrease fall rates.