Assessment of Risk Factors for Falls in Hospitalized Older Adults: A Meta-Analysis

To investigate risk factors for falls in hospitalized older adults to justify the adoption of targeted nursing measures.

Meta-analysis was used to synthesize national and international published studies on risk factors for falls in hospitalized older adults.

A total of 10 studies were included. Administration of psychotropic drugs, limb weakness, weak walking ability or unsteady gait, visual impairment, and history of falls were risk factors for the occur-rence of falls in hospitalized older adults. Administration of psychotropic drugs had the highest association with falls (odds ratio [OR] = 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.58, 3.14]) followed by limb weakness (OR = 1.59; 95% CI [0.26, 2.92]) and visual impairment (OR = 1.51; 95% CI [0.22, 2.80]). The lowest combined OR for the association between weak walking ability or unsteady gait and falls was 1.05 (95% CI [0.60, 1.50]) compared with 1.38 (95% CI [1.15, 1.60]) for history of falls.

The current meta-analysis derived risk factors for falls in hospitalized older adults, with results having greater stability and reliability than those of a single study. [Research in Gerontological Nursing, 17(5), 238-245.].