Falls in an acute hospital and their relationship to restraint use.
Journal Article (Journal Article)
BACKGROUND: Patient falls are a common complication of hospitalisation. Use of restraints in patients who are perceived to be at risk for falling may lead to injury and even death. AIMS: To determine the frequency of falls and fall-related injuries and the contribution of restraints in a hospital population. METHODS: We analysed incident reports of falls for a single year from a large teaching hospital. Results The fall rate per 10,000 patient days was 13.2 (95%CI 11.6-14.8). Fall rate increased dramatically with increased age. Eighty-two (30.7%) falls resulted in injury, of which 6 (7.3%) were serious. Injuries occurred in 71/247 (29%) unrestrained falls and in 11/20 (55%) falls in patients who were restrained. Injuries were more severe in falls with restraints in place (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Restraint use is associated with increased severity of injury in hospital patients who fall.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Tan, KM; Austin, B; Shaughnassy, M; Higgins, C; McDonald, M; Mulkerrin, EC; O'Keeffe, ST
Published Date
- July 2005
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 174 / 3
Start / End Page
- 28 - 31
PubMed ID
- 16285335
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 0021-1265
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1007/BF03169144
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- Ireland