Characterization of patient falls according to the notification in adverse event reports

Abstract

The objective of this study was to observe the characteristics of falls occurring in the inpatient population at a tertiary hospital. Eight hundred and twenty-six Adverse Events Notification Reports were analyzed over a 30 months period, and 0.30 falls per 1,000 patients/day were reported. Falls from beds were the most frequent (55%), showing the highest occurrence in the neurology ward. A higher frequency of falls was observed at night time (63.7%), during the first five hospitalization days (61.7%), in male patients (57.5%) over 60 years old (50%). In cases of falls from a bed, the diagnoses were related to infectious and parasitic diseases (18.2%), diseases affecting the nervous system (18.2%) and those affecting the circulatory system (13.7%). In cases of falls from one's own height, they were related to neoplasms (19.4%) and diseases affecting the genitourinary system (16.1%). It is concluded that high importance should be placed on studying the population to characterize those at high risk for falls to assist in the implementation of preventive measures.