Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of fall-related injuries: a retrospective study.

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  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100968562 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1471-2458 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14712458 NLM ISO Abbreviation: BMC Public Health Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Original Publication: London : BioMed Central, [2001-
    • Subject Terms:
      Accidental Falls*/mortality ; Hospitalization* ; Injury Severity Score*; Wounds and Injuries/*epidemiology ; Wounds and Injuries/*etiology; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Craniocerebral Trauma/epidemiology ; Craniocerebral Trauma/etiology ; Female ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Trauma ; Qatar/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Injuries/epidemiology ; Spinal Injuries/etiology ; Thoracic Injuries/epidemiology ; Thoracic Injuries/etiology ; Young Adult
    • Abstract:
      Background: Fall-related injuries are important public health problem worldwide. We aimed to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of fall-related injuries in a level 1 trauma center.
      Method: A retrospective analysis of Qatar Trauma Registry data was conducted on patients admitted for fall-related injuries between 2010 and 2017. Comparative analyses of data by gender, age-groups and height of falls were performed to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients, and in-hospital outcomes.
      Results: A total of 4040 patients with fall-related injuries were identified in the study duration which corresponds to the rate of 2.34 per 10,000 population. Although the rate of fall-related injuries decreased over the years, the average number of patients per year remained high accounting for 32% of the hospitalized patients with moderate to severe injuries. Most of the injuries affected the head (36%) followed by spines (29%) and chest (23%). Males were predominant (89%), more likely to fall at workplace, fall from a greater height and have polytrauma than females. The working age-group (20-59 years) constituted the majority of injured (73%) and were more likely to fall at workplace, and to fall from higher heights compared to the older adults who sustained more fall at home. Overall in-hospital mortality was 3%. Outcomes including longer hospital length of stay and mortality were generally correlated with the height of fall except for the fall at home.
      Conclusion: Fall-related injuries remain as significant burden even in a level 1 trauma center. Variations in the pattern of injuries by age, gender and height of fall provide important information for targeted preventive measures.
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    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: Fall; Height; Injury; Qatar; Trauma
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20200731 Date Completed: 20200827 Latest Revision: 20200827
    • Publication Date:
      20240104
    • Accession Number:
      PMC7388431
    • Accession Number:
      10.1186/s12889-020-09268-2
    • Accession Number:
      32727594