Abstract
Aim: The aim of this research was to carry out an analysis of falls of hospitalized patients in 2017. They occurred at 16 selected wards in 4 hospitals in South Bohemia.
The falls of hospitalized patients are the most frequent negative events in hospitals. Materials and methods: The data regarding falls in hospitals were coded and databased by authorized employees in "Monitoring of the risk factors of falls and their analysis".
They were later statistically analysed using the SASD programme. A total of 280 falls were analysed.
Results: Most falls occurred at subsequent care wards - 48.9%. 44.3% of falls occurred at internal wards and 6.8% at surgical wards. Almost half (46.5%) concerned patients who had been hospitalized for 1 to 7 days.
The average age of the patients who had fallen was 76.9 years. Most falls occurred in patients' rooms - 78.0% and, in 93.3% of the cases, a medical worker was not present when the fall occurred.
In the last 12 months, more than one third of patients have experienced a fall (39.8%). The riskiest period of the day was between 22:00 and 5:59 (35.8% of falls).
Most frequently (31.6%), a patient fell off their bed. 41.8% of patients were not injured. The most frequent internal cause was imbalance or dizziness (57.1%) and 34.4 % suffered from confusion.
Conclusions: Considering the above-mentioned results, we recommend a change in the control system and interventions using IT technologies and systems.