Abstract
In-hospital falls are clearly associated with increased hospital costs. Given the lack of comprehensive and contemporary data on the cost of falls, this prospective cohort study – conducted alongside the 6-PACK trial – aimed to quantify the additional length of stay (LOS) and costs associated with falls in acute hospitals in Australia. We identified 1,330 falls and 418 fall injuries from 27,026 hospital admissions. Patients with an in-hospital fall had a mean increase in LOS of 8 days (P<0.001) compared with non-fallers, and incurred mean additional hospital costs of $6669 (P<0.001). Patients with a fall-related injury had a mean increase in LOS of 4 days (P=0.001) compared with fallers without injury, and incurred mean additional hospital costs of $4727 (P=0.080). Findings from this study provide contemporary costs associated with an in-hospital fall and associated injury. Programs need to target the prevention of all falls, not just the reduction of harm.
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