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Table 3 Association Between System Factors, Fall Type, and Fall Outcome

From: Patient and system factors associated with unassisted and injurious falls in hospitals: an observational study

 

Fall Type (n = 353)

 

Fall Outcome* (n = 352)

System Factor

Level

Assisted, n (%)

Unassisted, n (%)

p value†

Non-Injurious, n (%)

Injurious, n (%)

p value†

Last Assessed

<  1 h

63 (26.8)

172 (73.2)

.50

164 (70.1)

70 (29.9)

.77

1–2 h

10 (26.3)

28 (73.7)

 

25 (65.8)

13 (34.2)

 

>  2 h

4 (44.5)

5 (55.6)

 

7 (77.8)

2 (22.2)

 

Fall Assisted

No

   

167 (63.7)

95 (36.3)

.004

Yes

   

72 (80.0)

18 (20.0)

 

Alarms in Use‡

No

43 (22.8)

146 (77.2)

.20

119 (63.3)

69 (36.7)

.048

Yes

47 (28.7)

117 (71.3)

 

120 (73.2)

44 (26.8)

 

Non Slip Floor Mat§

No

88 (25.5)

257 (74.5)

>.99

233 (67.7)

111 (32.3)

.73

Yes

2 (25.0)

6 (75.0)

 

6 (75.0)

2 (25.0)

 

Low Bed§

No

28 (22.0)

99 (78.0)

.27

88 (69.8)

38 (30.2)

.56

Yes

62 (27.4)

164 (72.6)

 

151 (66.8)

75 (33.2)

 

Patient and Family Education§

No

41 (23.3)

135 (76.7)

.34

115 (65.7)

60 (34.3)

.38

Yes

49 (27.7)

128 (72.3)

 

124 (70.1)

53 (29.9)

 

Gait Belt Identified as Interventionǁ

No

25 (12.4)

177 (87.6)

<.001

138 (68.7)

63 (31.3)

.73

Yes

65 (43.0)

86 (57.0)

 

101 (66.9)

50 (33.1)

 

Fall Assistance and Gait Belt Usage

Staff not providing hands on assist prior to fall

2 (0.80)

263 (99.2)

NA

167 (63.3)

97 (36.7)

.002

Staff providing hands on assist prior to fall but without gait belt

42 (100.0)

0 (0.0)

 

31 (73.8)

11 (26.2)

 

Staff providing hands on assist prior to fall with gait belt

46 (100.0)

0 (0.0)

 

41 (89.1)

5 (10.9)

 

Sitter§

No

88 (25.8)

253 (74.2)

.54

229 (67.4)

111 (32.6)

.35

Yes

2 (16.7)

10 (83.3)

 

10 (83.3)

2 (16.7)

 

Toileting Schedule§

No

65 (23.4)

213 (76.6)

.08

181 (65.3)

96 (34.7)

.048

Yes

25 (33.3)

50 (66.7)

 

58 (77.3)

17 (22.7)

 

Patient Close to Nurse’s Station§

No

73 (28.9)

180 (71.1)

.02

168 (66.7)

84 (33.3)

.43

Yes

17 (17.0)

83 (83.0)

 

71 (71.0)

29 (29.0)

 

Purposeful Hourly Rounding§

No

36 (21.2)

134 (78.8)

.07

110 (64.7)

60 (35.3)

.22

Yes

54 (29.5)

129 (70.5)

 

129 (70.9)

53 (29.1)

 
  1. *Injury was unspecified for one fall
  2. †p value calculated using Pearson Chi-Square Test or Exact Pearson Chi-Square Test
  3. ‡“Alarms in Use” was categorized as being in place if the hospital identified either bed or chair alarms as interventions to be used to prevent the reported fall. It does not necessarily mean that an alarm was sounding at the time of the fall
  4. §System characteristic deemed to be present if the hospital identified this intervention as in use to prevent the reported fall
  5. ǁ“Gait Belt Identified as Intervention” was categorized as being in place if the hospital identified a gait belt as an intervention to be used to prevent the reported fall (i.e. gait belt use was in the nursing care plan). It does not necessarily mean a gait belt was in use at the time of the fall
  6. “Fall Assistance and Gait Belt Usage” indicates whether hands on assist was being provided at the time of the fall, and whether or not a gait belt was being used to provide that assistance. For the purposes of this system variable, the 2 falls in the “Assisted” column for the row “Staff not providing hands on assist prior to fall” reflect 2 falls in which staff were not providing hands on assist immediately prior to the fall but did provide hands on assist once the patient began to fall
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BMC Geriatrics

ISSN: 1471-2318

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