Sensitivity of Fall Risk Perception and Associated Factors in Hospitalized Patients with Mental Disorders

To reduce falls in hospitalized patients with mental disorders, the patients should be sensitive to fall risk perception. This study identified the sensitivity to fall risk perceptions and associated factors, including demographic, clinical, and fall-related factors, among inpatients with mental disorders.

We used a descriptive, cross-sectional design, recruiting 170 inpatients with mental disorders from two psychiatric hospitals in South Korea. Sensitivity to fall risk perception was classified using fall occurrence and the Fall Risk Perception Questionnaire.

The prevalence of falls was 16.5%. Approximately 47% of falls occurred within 10 days of hospitalization, 67.9% within 1 month, and 85.7% within 2 months. Among the 28 participants who fell, 60.7% had inadequate low sensitivity to fall risk perception. Among the 142 participants who did not fall, 11.3% had inadequate high sensitivity to fall risk perception. A low sensitivity to fall risk perception was related to diagnosis, psychiatric symptoms, and fall history due to the mental disorder. A high sensitivity to fall risk perception was related to age at the onset of the mental disorder, urinary or bowel problems, and fear of falling. The multiple logistic regression analysis found that the diagnosis and fall history due to the mental disorder were associated with inadequate low sensitivity, and age at the onset and fear of falling were associated with inadequate high sensitivity to fall risk perception.

Over 60% of patients who fell had low sensitivity to fall risk perception. Inadequate low and high sensitivity to fall risk perception are related to the demographic, clinical, and fall-related characteristics among inpatients with mental disorders. Therefore, nurses should assess fall risk perception, consider these factors together during this assessment, and manage them appropriately in hospitalized patients with mental disorders.