Prevalence and predictors of falls in a health‐seeking older population: An outpatient‐based study

Abstract

Background Falls are one of the major causes of disability in older people. A wide range of risk factors for falls are described according to setting – inpatient, nursing homes and community. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for falls in an outpatient setting. Methods In this cross‐sectional observational study, 160 consenting subjects were enrolled randomly, from the Geriatric Medicine outpatient department, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Non‐ambulatory, seriously ill subjects were excluded. The subjects underwent brief evaluation including falls and geriatric assessment. They were grouped into fallers and non‐fallers. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with falls. Results The prevalence of falls was 23.75% (38/160). Women were proportionately higher (26.31%) in the fallers group vis‐à‐vis 19.67% in the non‐fallers group. After multivariate analysis, opioids (odds ratio [OR] 5.24 [95% CI, 2.0 18‐13.611]), vision impairment (OR 2.71 [95% CI, 1.050‐07.011]), fear of falling (OR 3.17 [95% CI, 1.167‐08.629]), instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) impairment (OR 3.41 [95% CI, 1.251‐09.301]), anti‐anginal medications (OR 8.90 [95% CI, 0.997‐79.564]) and self‐employment (OR 5.37 [95% CI, 1.058‐27.329]) were associated with falls. Adequate nutrition (OR 0.82 [95% CI, 0.688‐00.976]) and caregiver support (OR 0.46 [95% CI, 0.275‐00.801]) were protective of falls. Conclusion We identified the multi‐factorial etiology of falls. Patients having any of the above risk factors should undergo detailed fall risk assessment and preventive measures afterwards.

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Falls among Older Outpatients

“…The prevalence of falls among geriatric outpatients over 12 months was 23.7% (single fall 17.9% and multiple falls 5.8%). This result is similar to that of Subramanian et al conducted in Indian outpatients aged >60 years [ 29 ]. However, the reported global fall rates in community-dwelling older people vary from 4% to 35% [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ], and the proportion of recurrent falls in our study is lower than those in the studies in developed countries [ 30 , 31 ].…”

Risk factors for falls among older adults in India: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…After the full‐text screening, 22 studies were included in this systematic review. 5 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 All the included studies were in the English language. Out of these 22 studies, 19 studies were included in the meta‐analysis.…”

“…Out of these 22 studies, 19 studies were included in the meta‐analysis. 5 , 19 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44…”

“…Characteristics of the included studies are presented in Table 1 . Six studies were conducted in the northern states of India, 19 , 20 , 24 , 31 , 32 , 41 whereas 13 were conducted in the southern states. 5 , 21 , 22 , 25 , 33 , 34 , 36 , 37 , 39 , 40 , 42 , 43 , 44 Only one study was conducted in an eastern state of India 38 and another in a western state.…”

An integrative review of comprehensive nursing assessment tools developed based on Gordon's Eleven Functional Health Patterns

“…Cognitive-Perceptual Pattern: Dysfunctions in this FHP may influence negatively the experience of symptoms, quality of life and functional capacity, and have been associated with the occurrence of adverse events and increased use of analgesics (Muntlin Athlin, Carlsson, & Gunningberg, 2015;Rochette et al, 2020;Sabin et al, 2018;Subramanian, Singh, Chatterjee, Dwivedi, & Dey, 2020). Assessment of this FHP was found in all tools analyzed in this review and included: impaired speech, vision, hearing, taste, or smell or the need for vision or hearing aids, memory, pain or discomfort, sensory perception, and educational background.…”