Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2005 Jul-Sep;174(3):28-31.
doi: 10.1007/BF03169144.

Falls in an acute hospital and their relationship to restraint use

K M Tan  1 , B Austin, M Shaughnassy, C Higgins, M McDonald, E C Mulkerrin, S T O'Keeffe
Affiliations

Falls in an acute hospital and their relationship to restraint use

K M Tan et al. Ir J Med Sci. 2005 Jul-Sep.

Abstract

Background: Patient falls are a common complication of hospitalisation. Use of restraints in patients who are perceived to be at risk for falling may lead to injury and even death.

Aims: To determine the frequency of falls and fall-related injuries and the contribution of restraints in a hospital population.

Methods: We analysed incident reports of falls for a single year from a large teaching hospital. Results The fall rate per 10,000 patient days was 13.2 (95%CI 11.6-14.8). Fall rate increased dramatically with increased age. Eighty-two (30.7%) falls resulted in injury, of which 6 (7.3%) were serious. Injuries occurred in 71/247 (29%) unrestrained falls and in 11/20 (55%) falls in patients who were restrained. Injuries were more severe in falls with restraints in place (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions: Restraint use is associated with increased severity of injury in hospital patients who fall.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 1998 Jan;53(1):M47-52 - PubMed
    1. Gerontologist. 1999 Oct;39(5):611-4 - PubMed
    1. Age Ageing. 2004 Nov;33(6):641 - PubMed
    1. Am J Public Health. 1985 Jul;75(7):775-7 - PubMed
    1. Orthop Nurs. 1999 Nov-Dec;18(6):37-43 - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources