Characteristics of the middle-age adult inpatient fall

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe characteristics of middle-age inpatients' (ages 45-64) fallers and their fall and fall injury risk factors. Background: Middle-age falls were 42-46% of inpatient falls. Studies related to inpatient falls have not targeted this population. Methods: A 439 retrospective chart review was performed. Middle-age fall and injury rates were compared with ages 21-44 and 65-90. Results: The mean age was 55.75 years (SD 5.26). 28.7% (n = 126) of falls resulted in injury. Individual fallers (n = 386) had a mean of four comorbidities (SD 1.843), including hypertension (46.5%), anxiety/depression (40.2%), and alcohol and drug abuse (32.9%). There was no significant difference (p = .637) in fall rates per 1,000 patient days between ages 45-64 and 65-90. Conclusion: Middle-age inpatients' acute illness makes them as vulnerable for fall and injury as the older population. They should not be overlooked for fall prevention measures. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.