Characterization of the adult patients’ falling incidents in a university hospital

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the occurrences and to characterize the falling incidents of adult patients hospitalized in clinical and surgical units of a university hospital in the southern region of the country, in the period from 2011 to 2014. Method: Descriptive, cross-sectional and retrospective study, carried out from December 2016 to December 2017. The sample con-sisted of 1112 reports, covering all hospitalized patients who were notified with falls occurring in the studied period. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics. Results: Female and elderly patients were predominant in the sample, in which 69.4% of the incidents did not present any damage. The occurrence of falls was significantly higher at night. Limitation to walking and being unaccompanied were the most prevalent factors in the patient’s conditions before the fall. Conclusion: The fall is a multifactorial event that requires periodic evaluation of the risk factors by the team to plan their prevention.