Characteristics of the middle-age adult inpatient fall

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to describe characteristics of middle-age inpatients' (ages 45–64) fallers and their fall and fall injury risk factors.BackgroundMiddle-age falls were 42–46% of inpatient falls. Studies related to inpatient falls have not targeted this population.MethodsA 439 retrospective chart review was performed. Middle-age fall and injury rates were compared with ages 21–44 and 65–90.ResultsThe mean age was 55.75 years (SD 5.26). 28.7% (n = 126) of falls resulted in injury. Individual fallers (n = 386) had a mean of four comorbidities (SD 1.843), including hypertension (46.5%), anxiety/depression (40.2%), and alcohol and drug abuse (32.9%). There was no significant difference (p = .637) in fall rates per 1,000 patient days between ages 45–64 and 65–90.ConclusionMiddle-age inpatients' acute illness makes them as vulnerable for fall and injury as the older population. They should not be overlooked for fall prevention measures.