The Fall Risk Assessment and Correlated Factors Among Elderly Inpatients in 2020: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Objectives: Patient falls are highly prevalent in hospitals, and are considered a complicated challenge. Thus, the present research assessed the prevalence of the fall risk assessment and the correlated factors among elderly inpatients. Methods: The present analytical and cross-sectional research was conducted with 419 elderly patients meeting the inclusion criteria. The data collection instrument consisted of two parts including demographic information and the Johns Hopkins fall risk assessment tool (JHFRA). A convenience sampling method was used to select the elderly patients staying in the general wards of Allameh Bohlool Gonabadi Hospital, Gonabad City, Iran. The data analysis was done in SPSS software, version 23 using descriptive (frequency, Mean±SD) as well as inferential statistics (logistic linear regression analysis). Results: The Mean±SD of participants’ age was 72.09±9.46 and the prevalence of the fall risk was 85.9%. Statistically significant correlations were found between the elderly inpatients’ fall risk and their age (P=0.001), sex (P=0.012), and cardiovascular diseases (P=0.001). Discussion: Considering the high prevalence of fall risk among elderly inpatients, it is essential to plan for preventing and reducing the rate of elderly inpatients’ falls.

Keywords

• elderly
• fall
• risk factors