Original Research Article
Year: 2017 | Month: December | Volume: 7 | Issue: 12 | Pages: 120-124
In-Patient Falls: Investigation of Two-Year Electronic Health Records of the Hospital
Dilek Sari1, Ebru Baysal2, Derya Kadifeli3, Feriha Birol Öz3
1PhD, 2MSc, 1,2RN, Department of Fundamentals Nursing, Ege University College of Nursing, Izmir, Turkey, 3RN, İzmir Dr. SuatSeren Training and Research Hospital
Corresponding Author: Ebru Baysal
ABSTRACT
Patient falls are accepted as a significant problem of patient safety in health care institutions worldwide, and they appear to be among the most common reasons for secondary injury in hospitals. Falls may lead to such serious injuries as fractures, cuts or bleeding, which could in turn extend hospital stay, decreasing the functional capacity of the hospital and increasing health care costs. This research was conducted using descriptive and retrospective research design. The study was carried out in a 400-bed urban academic teaching hospital in the city of İzmir, Turkey. Information pertaining to patients aged over 65 (N=11702) (>24-hour stay) with a risk of fall according to the Fall Risk Scale was reviewed through electronic health records from January 1, 2015 through January 1, 2017. The patients who participated in the study aged between 65 and 99 and the mean age is 74.72 ± 6.79’dur. Fall records of the hospital over the last 2 years show that 23 (0.19%) patients experienced falls during their stay at the hospital. Two-thirds of the patients (69.8%) who fell sustained no injuries. Minor and major injuries were observed in 21.6% and 8.6% of the patients respectively. Majority of falls (74%) occurred in the patient’s room. In-patient falls in hospital soccur frequently, particularly in emergency rooms. Previo we studies have found similar characteristics of falls in relation to the location and consequences. However, the rate of falls we have found is much lower in comparison with previous studies. Also, falls can be devastating for hospitalized adults of older age, and it is important to identify high risk patients for better prevention.
Key words: In-patient falls, hospital, elderly, nursing.