title: Risk factors of falls in inpatients and their practical use in identifying high-risk persons at admission: Fukushima Medical University Hospital cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To clarify the risk factors for falls in hospital settings and to propose the use of such factors to identify high-risk persons at admission.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fukushima Medical University Hospital, Japan, from August 2008 and September 2009.
  
  
  METHODS
  9957 adult consecutive inpatients admitted to our hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Information was collected at admission from clinical records obtained from a structured questionnaire conducted in face-to-face interviews with subjects by nurses and doctors and fall events were collected from clinical records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportion of patients who fell during follow-up was 2.5% and the incidence of falls was 3.28 per 100 person-days. There were significant differences in age, history of falling, cognitive dysfunction, planned surgery, wheelchair use, need for help to move, use of a remote caring system, rehabilitation, use of laxative, hypnotic or psychotropic medications and need for help with activities of daily living (ADL) between patients who did and did not fall. Multivariable adjusted ORs for falls showed that age, history of falls and need for help with ADL were common risk factors in both men and women. Using psychotropic medication also increased the risk of falling in men while cognitive dysfunction and use of hypnotic medication increased the risk of falling in women. Planned surgery was associated with a low risk of falls in women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To prevent falls in inpatients it is important to identify high-risk persons. Age, history of falling and the need for help with ADL are the most important pieces of information to be obtained at admission. Care plans for patients including fall prevention should be clear and considered.
authors.forename: Takehito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
authors.forename: Shigeatsu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kanda
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Yumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kurihara
authors.forename: Takako
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawashima
authors.forename: Tetsuhito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukushima
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007297:Inpatients; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014910:Wheelchairs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs