Risk of Home Falls Among Older Adults After Acute Care Hospitalization: A Cohort Study

Acute care hospitalization has been associated with older adult home falls after discharge, but less is known about the effects of hospital- and patient-related factors on home fall risk.

This study compares the effects of hospital length of stay, medical condition, history of falls, and home health care on period rates of home falls after discharge from acute care hospitalization.

This was a retrospective cohort study comparing period rates of home injury falls among older adults (age ≥ 65) occurring after discharge from an acute care hospitalization. Data were collected from state health care utilization administrative records between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2018. We used log-linear Poisson regression to model post-discharge injury fall incidence rates as a function of days since discharge and patient-level covariates.

A total of 736,230 older adults were included in the study cohort. Absolute risk for post-discharge home falls was 7%. Fall rates were highest the first week after discharge at 0.05 per 100 person-days, with a period incidence rate 74.29 times higher than the >90-day discharge period. Fall risk increased with age, with the highest risk in the ≥85 age group. Fall risk increased for a 2-day hospital stay but decreased for 5- to 30-day stays, compared to a 1-day length of stay. Discharge to home health care and history of falls were associated with increased risk.

Older adults are at highest risk for a home fall the first 7 days after discharge from acute care hospitalization. These findings describe patient-related risk factors that acute care hospitals can use to develop geriatric-specific discharge guidelines intended to reduce home fall risk during the early care transition to home.