Association of Longitudinal Mobility Levels in the Hospital and Injurious Inpatient Falls

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Patient Safety
• Clinical Nursing

Background:

• Falls are a frequent adverse event in hospital settings.
• Patient mobility is a significant risk factor for falls.
• Current fall risk assessment tools have limitations in identifying at-risk patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze longitudinal patient mobility patterns preceding injurious falls.
• To identify pre-fall mobility characteristics that distinguish fallers from non-fallers.
• To enhance early detection of patients at high risk for falls.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective matched case-control analysis.
• Utilized the Johns Hopkins Highest Level of Mobility scale to quantify patient mobility.
• Compared daily mobility levels in the days leading up to an injurious fall between fallers and non-fallers.

Main Results:

• Patients who experienced injurious falls spent a significantly higher percentage of time (28%) in low mobility levels (Levels 1-4) compared to non-fallers (19%).
• This represents a 44% relative difference in low mobility time between fallers and non-fallers.
• The findings indicate a statistically significant association between prolonged low mobility and injurious falls (P = 0.026).

Conclusions:

• Assessing patient mobility trends over time is crucial for identifying individuals at increased risk of falling.
• Hospitals can leverage mobility data to proactively manage fall risks and improve patient safety.
• Longitudinal mobility monitoring offers a valuable adjunct to existing fall risk assessment strategies.