Trends, risk factors, and prevention of falls in older adults in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin's death rate due to falls among adults 65 years and older is more than twice the national average. The hospitalization rate due to falls-related injuries in Wisconsin increased slightly from 1995 to 2002, with an injury rate of 2159 per 100,000 in 1995, and 2263 per 100,000 in 2002. Emergency department (ED) utilization and hospitalization rates for falls-related injury are higher for women than for men in Wisconsin. In 2002, the total statewide charges for hospitalizations and ED visits for falls-related injuries were more than $96 million. Two thirds of those admitted to the hospital for a falls-related injury were discharged to a nursing home or rehabilitation facility. Multifactorial intervention strategies have been shown to decrease the rate of falls in randomized, controlled trials. The purpose of this paper is to describe trends in falls-related injury fatalities, hospitalizations, and ED visits in Wisconsin. Also included are cost data related to falls, identification of risk factors, and descriptions of the possible role of physicians and other health care professionals in interdisciplinary, multifocal programs to prevent falls-related injuries in high-risk older adults.