Falls in Newly Admitted Nursing Home Residents: A National Study

OBJECTIVES To examine the relationship between nursing home (NH) organizational characteristics and falls in newly admitted NH residents. DESIGN Observational cross-sectional study from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2006. SETTING NHs in the United States in 2006. PARTICIPANTS Individuals (n = 230,730) admitted to a NH in 2006 without a prior NH stay and with a follow-up Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment completed 30 days or more after admission. MEASUREMENTS The relationship between experiencing a fall noted on the MDS assessment and NH characteristics (e.g., staffing, profit and chain status, religious affiliation, hospital-based facility status, number of beds, presence of a special care unit, funding) was examined, adjusting for NH resident characteristics. RESULTS Twenty-one percent of this cohort (n = 47,750) had experienced at least one fall in the NH at the time of the MDS assessment, which was completed for newly admitted NH residents who had at least a 30-day stay. NHs with higher certified nursing assistant (CNA) staffing had lower rates of falls (adjusted odds ratio = 0.97, 95% confidence interval = 0.950.99). CONCLUSION For newly admitted NH residents, NHs with higher CNA staffing had a lower fall rate. In an effort to maximize fall prevention efforts, further research is needed to understand the relationship between CNA staffing and falls in this NH population. J Am Geriatr Soc 60:939-945, 2012.