A population-based study of 2347 fall-related injuries among older people in a Finnish emergency department
| Autor: | Mika Ukkonen, Esa Jämsen, Saara K. Soukola, Satu-Liisa Pauniaho |
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| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Male
medicine.medical_specialty Population Observational period 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Humans Medicine 030212 general & internal medicine Functional decline education Finland Aged Aged 80 and over education.field_of_study Population statistics business.industry Incidence Incidence (epidemiology) Emergency department Patient Discharge Population based study Emergency medicine Accidental Falls Female Emergency Service Hospital Older people business 030217 neurology & neurosurgery |
| Zdroj: | European Geriatric Medicine. 11:315-320 |
| ISSN: | 1878-7657 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s41999-020-00288-0 |
| Popis: | The main objective in this population-based study was to analyze the incidence of fall-related emergency department visits and recurrent falls among older people in a Finnish community. Thirteen percent of all ED visits of patients aged 80 years and over are fall-related. One in four of those discharged home had a new fall-related injury. As the risk of subsequent fall-related injuries was high during the first month after the fall, we emphasize the need to intervene with the fall risk promptly. Fall-related injuries are a significant cause of morbidity, mortality and functional decline among older people. The aim of this study is to analyze the incidence of fall-related emergency department (ED) visits and compare the characteristics of single and recurrent fallers in a population-based sample. Consecutive patients aged ≥ 80 years and living in the Tampere city region who visited collaborative emergency department within a two-year study period (1 January 2015 to 31 December 2016) due to fall-related injury were included. The incidence of fall-related injuries and recurrent falls was calculated using population statistics. A total of 6915 ≥ 80-year-old patients visited our ED 17,769 times during the study period. Thirteen percent of these visits (n = 2347, median 87 years, 80–103 years; 74% female) were fall-related. The incidence of fall-related ED visits increased from 94/1000 person-years to 171/1000 among those aged 80–89 years and ≥ 90 years, respectively. Twenty-four percent of patients had recurrent falls (range 2–5) during the observational period. Twenty-five percent of those discharged home had a subsequent fall-related injury within one month after the index visit. The distribution of diagnoses was similar among those with single and recurrent falls. Fall-related injuries are a significant health issue. Almost one in eight of all ED visits were fall-related, and 24% of patients had recurrent fall-related injuries. The risk of subsequent injury was high during the first month after the first injury, emphasizing the need to intervene with the fall risk promptly. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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