Risk of falls in elderly patients admitted to a University Hospital in the Brazilian Northeast

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the risk of falls in elderly patients admitted to a University Hospital. Methods: Cross-sectional, descriptive, and observational study conducted in a university hospital in the Northeast of Brazil. Population consisted of individuals of both sexes, aged 60 years or older, admitted to surgical and medical clinical units. Data collection was carried out using a structured instrument developed by the authors to obtain sociodemographic and clinical information, fall risk with the Morse Scale, and actions implemented to reduce risks. Data analysis was performed using simple descriptive statistics and association between sociodemographic and clinical variables and fall risk according to the Morse scale, using Chi-square and Fisher tests, with a significance level of 5% and p-value ≤ 0.05 in the Epi Info program. Results: Of the 174 participants, the majority were male (51.72%; n= 90), diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases (39.65%; n= 69), and had a hospital length of stay of 0 to 4 days (51.72%; n= 90). It was observed that 57% (n= 99) of the elderly had a high risk of falls, 14.94% (n= 26) wore safe footwear, 97.12% (n= 169) of the beds did not have a functional companion, and 17.81% (n= 31) of the patients had a risk identification bracelet. Conclusion: The majority of the elderly presented a high risk of falls. Additionally, there are failures in the implementation of prevention measures by the hospital institution that favor the risk of falls and consequently affect the quality of care.