Past Issues

Objective:The objectives of this study were to identify predictors of falls and to measure the severity of injuries among psychiatry inpatients. Methods: We first examined a five-year adverse event registry data of a psychiatric teaching hospital, which is a 450-bed long-term acute care facility located in northern Tai- wan. Out of 5,894 registered patients, 545 patients fell at least once, and 27.2% of them were women. We next compared the difference between groups of falls ver- sus non-fall and single fall versus repeat falls in demographic characteristics, psy- chiatric diagnosis and injury severity. Results:Patients who were male in sex (OR = 1.58, p< 0.05), those who were 60 years or older (Odds ratio, OR = 21.42, p< 0.001), and those with bipolar disorder (OR = 14.14, p< 0.001) were signifi- cantly more likely to have repeated (3 or more) falls. More serious injuries were significantly more common in female patients (OR = 3.59, p< 0.05), in patients with repeated (3 or more) falls (OR = 5.14, p < 0.01), and in patients who were admitted to chronic wards (OR = 5.30, p < 0.01). Conclusion:The risk factors for falls in psychiatric inpatients included older age and a diagnosis of schizophre- nia, bipolar disorder, dementia, or substance dependence. The risk factors for re- peated falls included older age, male gender, and a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or dementia. Risk factors for major injuries included female gen- der, repeated falls, and living in a chronic ward.