Falls – the socio-economic and medical aspects important for developing prevention and treatment strategies

Abstract

Introduction.Although falls occur extremely frequently, they are still one of the least investigated causes of death. According to the World Health Organization, around 37.3 million falls occur globally every year resulting in the deaths of over 660,000 adults and almost 30,000 children.Objective. The aim of this review is to evaluate the most up-to-date and comprehensive knowledge on falls and their consequences, especially in populations at the highest risk of fatal falls. Brief description of state of knowledge. Currently, there is a limited amount of literature which analyzes falls. Falls affect all age groups, but their location, cause, and severity vary among different populations. Individuals who are particularly at risk of falling at home include younger children and the elderly. Research indicates that falls are one of the main causes of work-related injuries and deaths, especially those occurring at significant heights. Falls in the home environment are the second most common cause of death in over 33% of accidents and the main cause of injury in 41.2% of accidents. During patient hospitalizations, falls generate additional burdens and costs on the healthcare system. Conclusions. This review elaborated on the nature of falls in different populations and analyzed the influence falls have on the healthcare system, in society, and on the economy. This knowledge is particularly important in an aging society, which will inevitably face increasing problems due to falls in the near future. As the emphasis on falls increases, leaders and lawmakers will be pushed to establish individualized prevention measures, as described in this review, for specific risk groups to effectively prevent falls and their consequences.

In-hospital fall prediction using machine learning algorithms and the Morse fall scale in patients with acute stroke: a nested case-control study

“…Previous studies have reported low albumin levels and anemia as risk factors for falls in patients hospitalized in the acute phase, and these could be equally applied to patients with acute stroke. Finally, socioeconomic status, a well-known risk factor, was found to be unrelated to the in-hospital falls in this study [ 41 , 42 ]. These results were attributed to the reason that this study was conducted in a single region and incorporated only patients with acute stroke.…”

Analysis of Hospital Safety in Fall Prevention in the Elderly

“…According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a fall can be understood as an event characterized by the sudden descent of the body to a level lower than the initial position [8]. 2 Additionally, patient falls contribute to prolonging the length of hospital stay, resulting in additional care costs and potentially having consequences for the institution's credibility and legal issues [9].…”

Receiver Operating Characteristic Analysis of Posture and Gait Parameters to Prevent Frailty Condition and Fall Risk in the Elderly

“…Moreover, fall history generates fear of a second fall, reducing progressively all the ADL resulting in social isolation, anxiety, and depression. This brings a substantial weakening of physical fitness that increases the fall risk, disability and hospitalization or institutionalization [4]. Fall events are also involved in driving up medical costs worldwide.…”