Incidence and Risk Factors of Recurrent Falls in the Elderly Visiting the Emergency Department after a Fall

Ri Na Jeong; Ja Hyun Ho; Youn Yong Chung; Ki Hyun Park; Jung A Kim; Moo Young Kim; Eun Mi Ham

doi:10.21215/kjfp.2019.9.6.554

Korean J Fam Pract 2019; 9(6): 554-559 https://doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2019.9.6.554

Incidence and Risk Factors of Recurrent Falls in the Elderly Visiting the Emergency Department after a Fall

Ri Na Jeong¹, Ja Hyun Ho¹, Youn Yong Chung¹, Ki Hyun Park¹, Jung A Kim¹, Moo Young Kim^1,*, Eun Mi Ham²

Departments of ¹Family Medicine, ²Emergency Medicine, Seoul Medical Center, Seoul, Korea

Moo Young Kim
Tel: +82-2-2276-8605, Fax: +82-2-2276-7377
E-mail: moowija@seoulmc.or.kr
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3019-1632

Received: October 1, 2019; Revised: October 30, 2019; Accepted: November 22, 2019; Published online: December 20, 2019.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract: Background: Several studies have evaluated risk factors for falls; however, the risk factors for recurrent falls are poorly understood. Therefore, this study evaluated the prevalence and factors associated with recurrent falls.
Methods: This study included 250 patients aged over 65 years, all of whom visited the emergency department (ED) at Seoul Medical Center following a fall from January 2016 to December 2017. We reviewed the patients’ medical records for demographic data and medical history. Previous fall history, use of gait-aids, residence type, and fall recurrence were assessed via individual telephone calls.
Results: During the follow-up period, 21.6% (n=54) of the 250 subjects experienced recurrent falls. Logistic regression analyses showed that fall recurrence was significantly associated with a previous fall history and the residence type. Subjects who lived in basement-level residences had a significantly higher risk of fall recurrence compared to those who lived in ground-level residences (odds ratio, 8.910; 95% confidence interval, 1.082–73.366).
Conclusion: This study revealed a high incidence of fall recurrence in older adults who visited the ED due to falls. Our results suggest that careful evaluation and intervention are essential, especially in elderly individuals with fall histories and those who live in residences associated with ncreased risk of falls.; Keywords: Accidental Falls; Housing for the Elderly; Recurrence; Risk Factors

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