Characteristics of Inpatient Falls and Factors Associated with Fall-Related Fractures and Recurrent Falls in a...

Inpatient falls are among the most common adverse events in acute-care hospitals and may result in functional decline, prolonged hospitalization, and increased healthcare costs. However, the characteristics of fall-related fractures and recurrent falls in university hospitals have not been fully investigated.

We retrospectively reviewed all inpatient fall events reported to the Department of Patient Safety at Niigata University Medical and Dental Hospital between January 2021 and December 2025. Patients younger than 20 years were excluded. Data regarding patient characteristics, mobility status, fracture occurrence, recurrent falls, medication use, and clinical departments were collected from medical records. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with fall-related fractures and recurrent falls.

A total of 2571 fall events were identified, yielding an incidence of 2.306 falls per 1000 inpatient-days. Malignant neoplasms were the most common primary diagnosis (36.9%). The incidence of falls was highest in the Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery. Fall-related fractures occurred in 54 cases (2.1%), most commonly involving the lower extremities, including 17 proximal femoral fractures. Multivariable analysis identified mobility status as the only independent factor associated with fractures (odds ratio [OR], 1.821; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.263-2.627; p = 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated a mobility cutoff value of 2.5, indicating an increased fracture risk among patients who were ambulatory with assistive devices or had higher mobility levels. Recurrent falls were observed in 439 patients (24.2%). Reduced mobility (OR, 0.837; 95% CI, 0.713-0.981; p = 0.028), polypharmacy (≥5 medications) (OR, 1.634; 95% CI, 1.254-2.016; p < 0.001), and use of central nervous system depressants (OR, 1.363; 95% CI, 1.124-1.653; p = 0.002) were independently associated with recurrent falls.

Patients with fall-related fractures tended to have relatively high mobility, whereas recurrent falls were associated with reduced mobility, polypharmacy, and central nervous system depressant use. Different characteristics of falls were observed across clinical departments. These findings may help identify patients at high risk for adverse fall-related outcomes and support the development of targeted fall-prevention strategies in university hospitals.