Gisela Büchele1, Clemens Becker2, Ian D Cameron3, Hans-Helmut König4, Stephen Robinovitch5, Kilian Rapp6. 1. Institute of Epidemiology and Medical Biometry, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany. Electronic address: gisela.buechele@uni-ulm.de. 2. Department of Clinical Gerontology, Robert-Bosch-Hospital, Stuttgart, Germany. 3. Rehabilitation Studies Unit, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Ryde, NSW, Australia. 4. Department of Health Economics and Health Services Research, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. 5. Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology and School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada. 6. Institute of Epidemiology and Medical Biometry, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany; Department of Clinical Gerontology, Robert-Bosch-Hospital, Stuttgart, Germany.
Abstract
BACKGROUND/ OBJECTIVE: Falls are common in nursing homes and cause a high burden of injuries. The objective of this study was to analyze factors associated with serious consequences of falls in nursing home residents. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Falls were recorded over 1 year, covering all residents from 528 nursing homes in Bavaria, Germany. PARTICIPANTS: The database consisted of 70,196 falls. MEASUREMENTS: The standardized form included information about date, time, sex, age, functional status, location of fall, activity leading to the fall, footwear, and about potential consequences, such as transfer to hospital or a suspected fracture. Transfer to hospital was the main outcome and served as surrogate for a serious fall. The association of potential risk factors with hospital transfer after a fall was estimated in multiple logistic regression models. RESULTS: Serious falls were associated with increasing age, being female, and less restricted functional status. Walking compared with transferring, and particularly the morning hours were also associated with a serious fall. Compared with midday, for example, the time period between 6 am and 8 am was associated with a more than 60% increased chance of transfer to hospital. Inappropriate footwear and weekends were associated with serious falls only in women. CONCLUSION: Some observed factors or indicators associated with transfer to hospital are modifiable and targeted interventions may reduce injuries or costs after a fall.
BACKGROUND/ OBJECTIVE: Falls are common in nursing homes and cause a high burden of injuries. The objective of this study was to analyze factors associated with serious consequences of falls in nursing home residents. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Falls were recorded over 1 year, covering all residents from 528 nursing homes in Bavaria, Germany. PARTICIPANTS: The database consisted of 70,196 falls. MEASUREMENTS: The standardized form included information about date, time, sex, age, functional status, location of fall, activity leading to the fall, footwear, and about potential consequences, such as transfer to hospital or a suspected fracture. Transfer to hospital was the main outcome and served as surrogate for a serious fall. The association of potential risk factors with hospital transfer after a fall was estimated in multiple logistic regression models. RESULTS: Serious falls were associated with increasing age, being female, and less restricted functional status. Walking compared with transferring, and particularly the morning hours were also associated with a serious fall. Compared with midday, for example, the time period between 6 am and 8 am was associated with a more than 60% increased chance of transfer to hospital. Inappropriate footwear and weekends were associated with serious falls only in women. CONCLUSION: Some observed factors or indicators associated with transfer to hospital are modifiable and targeted interventions may reduce injuries or costs after a fall.
Authors: R Mitchell; B Draper; H Brodaty; J Close; H P Ting; R Lystad; I Harris; L Harvey; C Sherrington; I D Cameron; J Braithwaite Journal: Osteoporos Int Date: 2020-01-02 Impact factor: 4.507
Authors: Vicki Komisar; Aleksandra Dojnov; Yijian Yang; Nataliya Shishov; Helen Chong; Ying Yu; Ian Bercovitz; Michael D Cusimano; Clemens Becker; Dawn C Mackey; Stephen N Robinovitch Journal: BMC Geriatr Date: 2022-04-19 Impact factor: 4.070
Authors: Marta Aranda-Gallardo; Jose M Morales-Asencio; Margarita Enriquez de Luna-Rodriguez; Maria J Vazquez-Blanco; Juan C Morilla-Herrera; Francisco Rivas-Ruiz; Juan C Toribio-Montero; Jose C Canca-Sanchez Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2018-02-23 Impact factor: 2.692