Profile of inpatient falls in patients with dementia: A prospective comparative study between 100% single rooms and traditional multibedded wards

BackgroundNew hospital designs with single rooms have emerged in recent years, where increased risks of falls have been reported. The objective of this prospective study was to measure the incidence and outcome of inpatient falls (IFs) in high-risk dementia patients being treated in single rooms and multibedded wards (MB-Ws).MethodsA total of 100 patients with dementia were recruited across the two hospital settings in South Wales. Baseline characteristics and falls data were collected for the total length of stay (LoS) in the hospital.ResultsThere was no significant difference between the two cohorts as suggested by mean age, sex, activities of daily living, comorbidity burden, polypharmacy, or care needs. The number of patients who sustained an IF at the two sites was similar (p = 0.83). Time to first fall was not significantly different (single rooms = 12 ± 18.6 days, MB-Ws = 11.4 ± 12.4 days; p = 0.89). Fifty-three IFs were sustained by 16 patients in single rooms compared with 23 IFs by 15 patients in MB-Ws. Mean IF/patient treated in single rooms was 3.3 (range 1–9) and this was significantly higher than those treated in MB-Ws (mean 1.5; range 1–3, p = 0.03). One patient sustained hip fracture at each site; otherwise, there was no significant difference with regard to other injuries and mortality. Mean LoS for patients with dementia having recurrent falls in single rooms (58.86 ± 41.44 days) was significantly higher as compared with MB-Ws (26.13 ± 20.91 days).ConclusionPatients with dementia were at an increased risk of recurrent IF in single rooms compared with MB-Ws. Recurrent IF could be correlated with longer LoS but it is difficult to establish the cause and effect due to the low power of the study. There was no significant difference in terms of injury or mortality between the two settings.