Investigation of The Incidence and Risk Factors of Falls, An Undesirable Incident in Hospitals: A Retrospective Study of Eight Years

Abstract

Objective: Falls are undesirable incidents that must be reported in hospitals. Duration of hospital stay and cost of treatment may increase due to post-fall injuries. Therefore, it is very important to investigate the incidence and risk factors of falls to prevent them. The aim of the study was to investigate the incidence and risk factors of falls. Methods: The retrospective descriptive study was conducted in one of the largest medical faculty hospitals located in the western of Türkiye. The study data of 160,119 cases of falls between 2012 and 2019 were examined retrospectively using a “Socio-demographic Information Form” and “HARIZMI” and “ITAKI” Fall Risk Scales. Results: Statistically significant differences were found between fall rates by year (p < .05). It was detected that the risk of falls in adults was 2.3 times higher than in children (95% CI: 1.86-2.89); the risk of falls in men was 1.2 times higher than in women (95% CI: 1.04-1.43), and the risk of falls in internal medicine units was 4.2 times higher than in surgical units (95% CI: 3.57-5.06). Conclusion: The falls mostly occurred in internal medicine units. The risk of falls was higher in internal medicine units than in surgical units. The risk of falls was higher in adults than in children and men than in women. Necessary precautions should be taken for adult ve men patients who are at risk of falls. Institutional procedures and flowcharts should be established to rapidly evaluate cases of falls and make the necessary interventions. Warning signs should be placed in the rooms of patients who are at risk of falling.