Risky Business: Factors That Increase Risk of Falls Among Older Adult In-Patients

Abstract

In hospitals, older patients are at increased risk of falling multiple times. This study incorporated an epidemiologic cross-sectional design consisting of 4,348 older patients (≥65-year-old). Eight hundred eighty five (20.4%) in-patients experienced multiple falls while remaining participants had one fall incident. A patient fall event was recorded with age, sex, incident date, type of fall, and location. Logistic regression assessed risk factors found in patients with multiple falls compared to those with one fall. Significant differences were observed in the proportion of multiple falls: in a bed with no rails, standing, walking, and using a wheel/Geri chair ( p < .05). Overall, sex, type of fall, and location were significant in predicting multiple falls ( p < .05). Male patients were at 16.1% greater risk of multiple falls, when compared to females ( p < .05). A fall in complex care, mental health, or respirology were more likely to experience multiple falls ( OR = 2.659, 3.620, 1.593 respectively), while season had no impact.