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Medical conditions and medications as risk factors of falls in the inpatient older people: a case–control study
- Authors:
- CHANG Chia-Ming, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 26(6), June 2011, pp.602-607.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The majority of fallers in hospitals are older people who have various medical conditions and are on several medications. This case-control study was carried out to analyse the role of medical conditions, and medication exposure within 24 hours, in the falls of older people in hospital. People aged 65 or over who were reported to the Taiwan Patient-Safety Reporting System for fall incidents in a large academic hospital in 2006 (n = 165) were included. They were individually matched with a control non-faller group. Bivariate analyses showed that older people with cancer, or exposure medications such as zolpidem, benzodiazepines, narcotics, and antihistamines were significantly more likely to have falls during hospitalisation. After controlling for cancer, zolpidem, narcotics, and antihistamine, benzodiazepine (OR = 2.26) and benzodiazepine doses 1 mg/day or more in diazepam equivalents (OR = 2.14) were still significantly associated with the falls of older people in the hospital. The authors suggest that strategies to prevent falls in older people in hospital should include minimising the use of zolpidem, benzodiazepine, narcotics, and antihistamines, especially in cancer patients.