title: Risk factors associated with hospitalization for unintentional falls: Wisconsin hospital discharge data for patients aged 65 and over.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify risk factors associated with hospitalizations for falls in Wisconsin in patients aged 65 and older.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was a cross-sectional study of year 2000 hospital inpatient discharge records for patients aged 65 and older who did not have a diagnosis-related group code indicating rehabilitation, obtained from the Wisconsin Bureau of Health Information. The database includes all discharges from all non-federal Wisconsin hospitals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 223,085 discharged older adults, 6.9% had an unintentional fall diagnosis. Independent predictors of an unintentional fall diagnosis were age, sex, time of year of discharge, region of residence, alcohol-related problems, dementia, Parkinson's disease, mechanical and motor problems, altered consciousness, convulsions/epilepsy, anemia, and glaucoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alcohol-related problems and mechanical and motor problems significantly increased the risk of a fall diagnosis in hospitalized patients aged 65 and over.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Community Medicine and Injury Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wis 53226, USA. cguse@mcw.edu
authors.forename: Clare E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Guse
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Porinsky
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014922:Wisconsin