A multicenter retrospective study on falls in elderly population. Epidemiology and impact on hospital workload in two Emergency Departments of Northern Italy

Abstract

Aims of this study were to evaluate the incidence of falls in subjects aged ≥65 years in Parma Province (Northern Italy), and the burden of fall-related hospitalizations. All the Emergency Department (ED) visits for domestic or trivial falls were retrieved from the database of the two EDs of Parma Province during 2013. All cases were classified according to age and gender. Out of 129,898 total ED visits, 3720 (2.9%) were related to trivial falls in patients aged ≥65 years. Females accounted for 2648 visits and males for 1072. The absolute number of visits due to falls increased with age in both genders, with a peak between 80 and 84 yrs. When related with the actual number of residents by age groups, females showed a continuous increase, peaking at age >100 yrs, and males a continuous increase, peaking at age 95-99 yrs. Of these patients, 963 (25.9%) needed hospitalization, 605 in the orthopedic ward, 342 in medical wards, and 16 in specialist surgical units. In conclusion, falls represent a major cause of morbidity in the elderly in Northern Italy, representing 13.3% of the ED visits for people aged ≥65, with a high impact on hospital workload.

Keywords

• falls, elderly, hospitalization, fractures, frailty