Characteristics of Inpatient Falls and Fall Related Injury

Introduction To identify characteristics of inpatient falls and associated factors with injury outcome within a hospital setting. Method A cross-sectional study of falls occurring within inpatient settings was conducted. Data from the incident reporting team and medical records were collected for inpatient fall between 1st January 2017 and 31st December 2019, at Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan (HTAA). Pearson Chi-square or Fisher Exact test were performed to assess relationships between categorical variables. Results We analysed 44 fall incidents. Males fell most frequently (n = 24, 54.5%). Falls from the bedside were the most common (n = 23, 52.3%) and during the night shift from 9 pm until 7 am, (n = 18, 40.9%). The fall rate was 0.3 falls per 1000 patient-days among the hospitalised patients. Overall, the patients who fell experienced a minor injury (n = 23, 52.3%). The highest fall rate was noted in the surgical based departments (i.e., general surgery, neurosurgery, and orthopaedics) which is 0.71 falls per 1000 patient-days. Elderly patients (age 51 years and above) were more likely to sustain minor to major injury compared to other age groups (n = 16, 80.0%, P-value = 0.008). The associations between gender, time of fall, mental status, the department involved and injury severity are not statistically significant. Conclusion This study provides a comprehensive review of the characteristics of fall events and injury outcome in HTAA over three years. Risk assessment and management plans should focus on education, particularly surrounding bed safety. [Disclaimer: Abstract text might vary slightly from what is displayed in the e-poster]This poster was submitted to the 14th National Conference for Clinical Research (NCCR) in August 18-20, 2021. https://nccrconference.com.my