Incidence and risk factors of falls in older adults after discharge: A prospective study.
Siyu Long, Liangzhu Hu, Yetao Luo and 2 others
PMID 36860715WHAT IT FOUND
Among 1,077 older Chinese adults after discharge, falls rose to 4.45% at 1 month, 9.03% at 6 months, and 10.80% at 12 months.
Depression and frailty were independently associated with falls.
Key findings
01The cumulative incidence of falls was 4.45% at 1 month, 9.03% at 6 months, and 10.80% at 12 months after discharge.
02Depression was directly associated with falls in multivariable analysis, with a 9.030 times higher sub-distribution hazard.
03Physical frailty was directly associated with falls in multivariable analysis, with a 3.525 times higher sub-distribution hazard.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done at one tertiary hospital in Chongqing and only some departments, so it may not represent all discharged older adults in China. Patients reported falls retrospectively during telephone follow-up, which can bias the fall count and timing. Depression, frailty, fall risk, and other factors were measured only after discharge and not reassessed during follow-up, so the study cannot show whether changes in these factors explained the fall trend. The sample excluded people with cognitive impairment, physical disability who could not walk, and Barthel Index scores of 61 or lower, so findings do not apply to more impaired patients. Only five patients used antidepressants, so the study cannot confirm antidepressant use as a fall risk factor.
Declared interests
Funded by the Intelligent Medicine Project of Chongqing Medical University (grant ZHYX2019003); the authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 9.030 times higher hazard for depression as proof that treating depression prevents falls. This study only observed associations, and it could not confirm antidepressant use as a fall risk factor because only five patients used them.