The relationship of falls to injury among hospital in-patients

Vassallo, M., Vignaraja, R., Sharma, J.C., Briggs, R and Allen, S. (2005) The relationship of falls to injury among hospital in-patients. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 59 (1), 17-20. (doi:10.1111/j.1742-1241.2004.00265.x).

Abstract

The need to reduce falls is driven by the need to reduce injury. If patients at risk of injury can be distinguished from the patients at risk of falls, there is the potential for a more effective fall risk management policy by targeting injury prevention measures. We conducted a prospective observational study, with blinded endpoint evaluation of 825 consecutive patients admitted to geriatric rehabilitation wards. We identified 150 fallers (18.2%) contributing 243 falls. Fifty-six patients sustained an injury contributing 73 (30.0%) injurious falls. Only five (6.8%) falls resulted in injury of major severity. We identified no significant differences in demographics between injurious and non-injurious falls. A logistic regression analyses of the independent risk factors of suffering an injurious fall were a history of falls (p = 0.036), confusion (p = 0.001) and an unsafe gait (p = 0.03). However, we identified no significant differences in clinical characteristics between patients suffering injurious and non-injurious falls. None of the characteristics studied can identify patients prone to injury after a fall. Injury is largely unpredictable, and more research is needed to determine how injury can be prevented in patients at risk of falls.

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