BACKGROUND: Patient falls are a common complication of hospitalisation. Use of restraints in patients who are perceived to be at risk for falling may lead to injury and even death. AIMS: To determine the frequency of falls and fall-related injuries and the contribution of restraints in a hospital population. METHODS: We analysed incident reports of falls for a single year from a large teaching hospital. Results The fall rate per 10,000 patient days was 13.2 (95%CI 11.6-14.8). Fall rate increased dramatically with increased age. Eighty-two (30.7%) falls resulted in injury, of which 6 (7.3%) were serious. Injuries occurred in 71/247 (29%) unrestrained falls and in 11/20 (55%) falls in patients who were restrained. Injuries were more severe in falls with restraints in place (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Restraint use is associated with increased severity of injury in hospital patients who fall.
BACKGROUND:Patient falls are a common complication of hospitalisation. Use of restraints in patients who are perceived to be at risk for falling may lead to injury and even death. AIMS: To determine the frequency of falls and fall-related injuries and the contribution of restraints in a hospital population. METHODS: We analysed incident reports of falls for a single year from a large teaching hospital. Results The fall rate per 10,000 patient days was 13.2 (95%CI 11.6-14.8). Fall rate increased dramatically with increased age. Eighty-two (30.7%) falls resulted in injury, of which 6 (7.3%) were serious. Injuries occurred in 71/247 (29%) unrestrained falls and in 11/20 (55%) falls in patients who were restrained. Injuries were more severe in falls with restraints in place (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Restraint use is associated with increased severity of injury in hospital patients who fall.
Authors: Eileen B Hitcho; Melissa J Krauss; Stanley Birge; William Claiborne Dunagan; Irene Fischer; Shirley Johnson; Patricia A Nast; Eileen Costantinou; Victoria J Fraser Journal: J Gen Intern Med Date: 2004-07 Impact factor: 5.128
Authors: Wolfgang von Renteln-Kruse; Lilli Neumann; Björn Klugmann; Andreas Liebetrau; Stefan Golgert; Ulrike Dapp; Birgit Frilling Journal: Dtsch Arztebl Int Date: 2015-02-13 Impact factor: 5.594
Authors: Elizabeth A Fehlberg; Robert J Lucero; Michael T Weaver; Anna M McDaniel; A Michelle Chandler; Phyllis A Richey; Lorraine C Mion; Ronald I Shorr Journal: Innov Aging Date: 2018-02-02