Selected Risk Factors of Falls in Hospitalized Patients: A Case-Control Study.

THEORY: Patients falls have a multifactorial character and typically have multiple causalities. GOAL: The goal of the study was to identify risk factors for falls of hospitalized patients. METHODOLOGY: This was a case-control study. The study included 222 patients who experienced a fall during their hospitalization (cases) and 1,076 patients who did not fall during their hospitalization (controls). The study involved four hospitals in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. The study took place during the 2017 calendar year. RESULTS: The average age of patients who experienced a fall was 77.9 years. The group of cases included 5-times more patients with a history of falls than the controls. Patients who fell were in higher risk of falls than patients in the control group at hospital admission. The group of cases also had a higher prevalence of confused and restless patients; however, the group did not include a statistically significantly higher number of incontinent patients, patients with eating and drinking disorders, or patients with intravenous therapy than the control group. CONCLUSION: Interventions aimed at prevention of falls should be included in care plans, especially for older patients, patients who have fallen in the past, patients who have movement restriction, patients with cognitive dysfunction, and patients with increased need of assistance with basic daily activities.