One of the many concerns for older people in hospitals and other residential facilities is the risk of a fall. Ian Cameron from Sydney Medical School in Australia describes a new Cochrane review of preventative strategies.
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Falls by older people in nursing care facilities and hospitals are common, and lead to considerable morbidity and mortality. It has been reported that the incidence of falls in nursing care facilities is about three times that in the community, equating to rates of 1.5 falls per bed or 1.4 falls per person per year. The risk is higher in hospital settings, with research from the 1990s finding an incidence of 6.2 falls per person per year in psychogeriatric wards, and 3.4 falls per person per year in geriatric rehabilitation wards have been reported.
These falls can lead to broken bones and more serious injuries. Studies in nursing care facilities have found an incidence of all fractures of 70 per 1000 person years, incidence of long bone fracture of 35 per 1000 person years and a rate of hip fractures that is more than 10 times higher than that in the community. In addition, more than 20% of older people in nursing care facilities might suffer some form of head injury from a fall in any given year.
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