Prioritising patients for hospital occupational therapy to reduce inpatient falls: A retrospective case-control study to identify predictive patient falls risk factors.
Kristie J Harper, Emily Mast, Grace Carter and 3 others
PMID 40336791WHAT IT FOUND
Early occupational therapy input was associated with an 81% reduction in falls within the first 48 hours of admission.
Key risk factors for early falls included impaired balance, reduced muscle strength, impulsivity, and mobilising without assistance.
Key findings
01Patients seen by an occupational therapist prior to falling were 81% less likely to fall (OR 0.19; 95% CI 0.04–0.96; p = 0.04).
02Significant predictors for early falls included reduced muscle strength, impaired balance, impulsivity, and unassisted mobilisation.
03Provision of assistive equipment, correct footwear, and mobility assessment were associated with reduced fall risk.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
This was a retrospective audit of medical records, so data quality depended on what was documented. The study was conducted at a single hospital site, which may limit generalisability to other settings. The association between OT input and reduced falls is observational; it cannot prove causation because patients who saw OTs may have been different from those who did not in ways not captured by the audit. The finding that polypharmacy and benzodiazepines were protective is counter-intuitive and likely reflects confounding factors (e.g., these patients may have received more intensive monitoring).
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest and no financial support for the research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the 81% reduction in falls as proof that occupational therapy prevents falls. This is an observational association from a retrospective audit; patients who received OT input may have had different baseline risks or received concurrent care that was not separated in the analysis.