Assessing the Risk Factors of Fall among Hospitalized Adult Patients: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Contents: Falls have been widely observed among admitted patients that substantially influence their recovery from illness. Also, the fall events significantly contribute to their prolonged hospital stay and increased healthcare costs. Furthermore, patients' fall incidents have proved to be quite costly due to the adverse consequences of fall-related injuries.
Aim: This review aims to identify and analyze the risk factors of falls among adult patients during hospitalization in the relevant research findings.

Methods: The scoping review of the relevant research findings on the risk factors of falls among hospitalized adult patients included 11 relevant studies that were reviewed critically to identify the potential factors increasing patient falls risk. These studies published between 2013-2019 were recruited from authentic databases like MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, and EBSCO. The quality of the included studies was also appraised.

Results: This review revealed different factors that contribute to increased risk of falls among hospitalized patients like the age of patients, chronic disease, psychotropic and narcotic drugs, urologic conditions, limb amputation, increased use of anti-epileptics, and environmental factors.
Conclusion: Falls are attributable to both intrinsic and extrinsic factors during hospitalization. Identifying the significant factors leading to falling can help nurses and other healthcare staff to develop preventive strategies to alleviate these falls' physical, psychological, and social consequences.