Abstract
BackgroundFall-related injuries are important public health problem worldwide. We aimed to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of fall-related injuries in a level 1 trauma center.MethodA retrospective analysis of Qatar Trauma Registry data was conducted on patients admitted for fall-related injuries between 2010 and 2017. Comparative analyses of data by gender, age-groups and height of falls were performed to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients, and in-hospital outcomes.ResultsA total of 4040 patients with fall-related injuries were identified in the study duration which corresponds to the rate of 2.34 per 10,000 population. Although the rate of fall-related injuries decreased over the years, the average number of patients per year remained high accounting for 32% of the hospitalized patients with moderate to severe injuries. Most of the injuries affected the head (36%) followed by spines (29%) and chest (23%). Males were predominant (89%), more likely to fall at workplace, fall from a greater height and have polytrauma than females. The working age-group (20–59 years) constituted the majority of injured (73%) and were more likely to fall at workplace, and to fall from higher heights compared to the older adults who sustained more fall at home. Overall in-hospital mortality was 3%. Outcomes including longer hospital length of stay and mortality were generally correlated with the height of fall except for the fall at home.ConclusionFall-related injuries remain as significant burden even in a level 1 trauma center. Variations in the pattern of injuries by age, gender and height of fall provide important information for targeted preventive measures.
Highlights
Fall-related injuries are important public health problem worldwide
A total of 4040 patients with fall-related injuries were identified in the study duration which corresponds to the rate of 2.34 per 10,000 population
The working age-group (20–59 years) constituted the majority of injured (73%) and were more likely to fall at workplace, and to fall from higher heights compared to the older adults who sustained more fall at home
Summary
Fall-related injuries are important public health problem worldwide. We aimed to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of fall-related injuries in a level 1 trauma center. Approximately 37.3 million falls occur globally which are usually severe and require medical attention. This leads to a loss of 17 million disability-. Epidemiology of fall-related injuries in Qatar remains understudied, some hospital-based studies on moderate to severe injuries suggested that FFH was the key contributor for work-related injuries (nearly 50%), Mekkodathil et al BMC Public Health (2020) 20:1186 among the 18–59 age group [2]. There is scarcity of information on epidemiological and clinical characteristics of fall-related injuries in Qatar based on a nationally representative sample addressing all the age groups. Such studies will contribute to policy-making and developing preventive strategies
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