BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine (i) risk factors for postdischarge falls and (ii) the effect of inpatient falls prevention education on rates of falls after discharge. METHODS:Participants (n = 343) were a prospective cohort nested within a randomized controlled trial (n = 1,206) of falls prevention patient education in hospital compared with usual care. Participants were followed up for 6 months after discharge and falls recorded via a falls diary and monthly telephone calls. Potential falls risk factors were assessed at point of discharge and at 6 months postdischarge using a telephone survey. RESULTS:There were 276 falls among 138 (40.2%) participants in the 6 months following discharge (4.52/1,000 person days) of which 150 were injurious falls (2.46/1,000 person days). Pairwise comparisons found no significant differences between groups in rates of falls after adjustment for confounding variables. Independent risk factors for all falls outcomes were male gender, history of falls prior to hospital admission, fall during hospital admission, depressed mood at discharge, using a walking aid at discharge, and receiving assistance with activities of daily living at 6 months following discharge. Receiving assistance with activities of daily living significantly reduced the risk of falls and injurious falls for high risk patients. CONCLUSIONS:Older patients are at increased risk of falls and falls injuries following discharge. Education that effectively reduced inpatient falls appears to have no ongoing protective effect after discharge. Independent risk factors for falls in this population differ from both hospital and general community settings.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine (i) risk factors for postdischarge falls and (ii) the effect of inpatient falls prevention education on rates of falls after discharge. METHODS:Participants (n = 343) were a prospective cohort nested within a randomized controlled trial (n = 1,206) of falls prevention patient education in hospital compared with usual care. Participants were followed up for 6 months after discharge and falls recorded via a falls diary and monthly telephone calls. Potential falls risk factors were assessed at point of discharge and at 6 months postdischarge using a telephone survey. RESULTS: There were 276 falls among 138 (40.2%) participants in the 6 months following discharge (4.52/1,000 person days) of which 150 were injurious falls (2.46/1,000 person days). Pairwise comparisons found no significant differences between groups in rates of falls after adjustment for confounding variables. Independent risk factors for all falls outcomes were male gender, history of falls prior to hospital admission, fall during hospital admission, depressed mood at discharge, using a walking aid at discharge, and receiving assistance with activities of daily living at 6 months following discharge. Receiving assistance with activities of daily living significantly reduced the risk of falls and injurious falls for high risk patients. CONCLUSIONS: Older patients are at increased risk of falls and falls injuries following discharge. Education that effectively reduced inpatient falls appears to have no ongoing protective effect after discharge. Independent risk factors for falls in this population differ from both hospital and general community settings.
Authors: Steven M Albert; Offer Edelstein; Jennifer King; Jason Flatt; Chyongchiou J Lin; Robert Boudreau; Anne B Newman Journal: Prev Sci Date: 2015-01
Authors: Anne-Marie Hill; Steven M McPhail; Terry P Haines; Meg E Morris; Christopher Etherton-Beer; Ronald Shorr; Leon Flicker; Max Bulsara; Nicholas Waldron; Den-Ching A Lee; Jacqueline Francis-Coad; Amanda Boudville Journal: J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci Date: 2019-08-16 Impact factor: 6.053
Authors: Chiara Naseri; Steven M McPhail; Terry P Haines; Meg E Morris; Ronald Shorr; Christopher Etherton-Beer; Julie Netto; Leon Flicker; Max Bulsara; Den-Ching A Lee; Jacqueline Francis-Coad; Nicholas Waldron; Amanda Boudville; Anne-Marie Hill Journal: Health Soc Care Community Date: 2020-04-26
Authors: John T Henry-Sánchez; Jibby E Kurichi; Dawei Xie; Qiang Pan; Margaret G Stineman Journal: Am J Phys Med Rehabil Date: 2012-07 Impact factor: 2.159
Authors: Isabella Campanini; Annalisa Bargellini; Stefano Mastrangelo; Francesco Lombardi; Stefano Tolomelli; Mirco Lusuardi; Andrea Merlo Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-02-04 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Ian D Cameron; Suzanne M Dyer; Claire E Panagoda; Geoffrey R Murray; Keith D Hill; Robert G Cumming; Ngaire Kerse Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2018-09-07