Summary

Probability of new falls and factors associated with them in aged patients treated in emergency departments after falling: data from the FALL-ER registry

García-Martínez A, Gil-Rodrigo A, Placer A, Alemany X, Aguiló S, Torres-Machado V, Jacob J, Herrero P, Llorens P, Martín-Sánchez FJ, Miró O

Affiliation of the authors

Emergency Department, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain. Emergency Department, Short Stay and Home Hospitalization Unit, Hospital General Universitario de Alicante, Spain. Hospital General Universitario de Alicante, Spain. Emergency Department, Hospital de Bellvitge, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. Emergency Department, Hospital Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain. Miguel Hernández University, Elche, Alicante, Spain. Emergency Department, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain. University of Barcelona, Spain.

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García-Martínez A, Gil-Rodrigo A, Placer A, Alemany X, Aguiló S, Torres-Machado V, et al. Probability of new falls and factors associated with them in aged patients treated in emergency departments after falling: data from the FALL-ER registry. Emergencias. 2022;34:444-51

Summary

Objective.

To identify characteristics associated with a new fall in a patient who received emergency department care after an accidental fall and to develop a risk model to predict repeated falls.

Method.

The FALL-ER registry included accidental falls in patients over the age of 65 years treated in 5 Spanish emergency departments. Independent variables analyzed were patient characteristics at baseline, fall characteristics,

immediate consequences, and functional status on discharge. Patients were followed with telephone interviews for 6 months to record the occurrence of new falls. Multivariate regression analysis was used to identify variables associated with falling again and to develop a risk model. We identified 3 levels of risk for new falls (low, intermediate, and high).

Results.

A total of 1313 patients were studied; 147 patients (11.2%) reported having another fall. Variables associated with risk of falling again were having had a fall in the 12 months before the index fall, neurological disease, anemia, use of non-opioid analgesics, falling at home, falling at night, head injury on falling, and need for help when rising

from a chair. The probability of falling again was 3.5%, 10.5%, and 23.3%, respectively, in patients at low, intermediate, and high risk. The model’s ability to discriminate was moderate: the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.688 (95% CI, 0.640-0.736).

Conclusion. One in 9 older adults treated in an emergency department for an accidental fall will fall again within 6 months. It is possible to identify patients at higher risk for whom preventive measures should be implemented.

 

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Aguiló S, Alemany X, García-Martínez A, Gil-Rodrigo A, Herrero P, Jacob J, Llorens P, Martín-Sánchez FJ, Miró O, Placer A, Torres Machado V

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