The Association between Delirium and In-Hospital Falls: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of a Delirium Screening Program

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Clinical Medicine
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Falls and delirium are significant concerns in hospital settings, impacting patient outcomes and healthcare costs.
• Understanding the relationship between these two conditions is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between in-hospital delirium and patient falls.
• To quantify the increased odds of falling for patients experiencing delirium.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study analyzing inpatient data from a large academic medical center (August 2018 - January 2020).
• Utilized delirium screening and falls reports for 29,655 hospital admissions.
• Employed multivariable logistic regression to assess the association between delirium and falls.

Main Results:

• The study identified a delirium rate of 12.5% and a fall rate of 0.9% among all admissions.
• Of patients who fell, 37.6% screened positive for delirium.
• Admissions with delirium showed 2.81 times higher odds of experiencing a fall compared to those without delirium.

Conclusions:

• A strong association exists between in-hospital delirium and falls.
• Healthcare systems should prioritize addressing both delirium and falls to mitigate patient harm.
• Routine delirium screening is recommended as part of fall risk assessment to reduce in-hospital falls.