Recurrent falls are associated with increased length of stay in elderly psychiatric inpatients.
OBJECTIVE
To identify factors which may contribute to prolonged length of stay in an elderly psychiatric inpatient setting.


METHODS
Retrospective case note study.


METHODS
A list of all patients over the age of 65 discharged from a private psychiatric hospital over a three-year period excluding those with a length of stay of over 365 days was obtained (n = 1147). A random sample of 150 patients was selected from the study population. A case note study was then performed looking at a number of variables which have been postulated to affect length of stay. The resulting data was analysed using multivariate statistics.


RESULTS
There was no statistically significant association found between baseline factors (including age, gender, cognitive impairment, marital status, order of admission and preadmission living arrangement) and length of stay. Having recurrent falls whilst an inpatient was associated with prolonged hospital stay (p = 0.0006).


CONCLUSIONS
Experiencing recurrent falls whilst an inpatient is associated with prolonged length of stay. Recurrent falls in the elderly may be associated with both physical illness and the use of psychotropic medications. A prospective study examining factors contributing to falls would be important in decreasing fall risk and reducing length of stay.
Greene
E
E
Mercers Institute for Research on Ageing, St James's Hospital, James's St, Dublin 8, Ireland. elainegreene@eircom.net
Cunningham
C J
CJ
Eustace
A
A
Kidd
N
N
Clare
A W
AW
Lawlor
B A
BA
D000058:Accidental Falls; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D011619:Psychotropic Drugs