Table 1.
Hospitalization characteristics by presence or absence of an in-hospital fall
| Characteristic – n (%) | Overall | No Fall | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|
| N = 225,498 | N = 223,071 | N = 2,427 | |
| Age | |||
| <65 | 141,393 (62.7) | 140,146 (62.8) | 1,247 (51.4) |
| 65–79 | 50,998 (22.6) | 50,271 (22.5) | 727 (30.0) |
| >79 | 33,107 (14.7) | 32,654 (14.6) | 453 (18.7) |
| Race | |||
| Black | 26,911 (11.9) | 26,648 (12.0) | 263 (10.8) |
| White | 143,180 (63.5) | 141,467 (63.4) | 1,713 (70.6) |
| Other | 55,407 (24.6) | 54,956 (24.6) | 451 (18.6) |
| Female | 130,551 (57.9) | 129,446 (58.0) | 1,105 (45.5) |
| Medicine Service | 91,917 (40.8) | 90,680 (40.7) | 1,237 (51.0) |
| Intensive Care | 36,707 (16.3) | 35,926 (16.1) | 781 (32.2) |
| Mechanical Ventilation | 10,339 (4.6) | 10,050 (4.5) | 289 (11.9) |
| Functional Measuresa | |||
| History of a fallb | 37,557 (18.3) | 36,665 (18.1) | 892 (43.2) |
| Morse fall score > 50c | 58,882 (30.3) | 57,794 (30.1) | 1,088 (58.4) |
| Visual impairmentd | 65,116 (28.9) | 64,390 (28.9) | 726 (29.9) |
| Comorbidities | |||
| Congestive heart failure | 18,012 (8.0) | 17,713 (7.9) | 299 (12.3) |
| Valvular disease | 8,660 (3.8) | 8,542 (3.8) | 118 (4.9) |
| Pulmonary circulation disease | 4,284 (1.9) | 4,201 (1.9) | 83 (3.4) |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 12,106 (5.4) | 11,923 (5.3) | 183 (7.5) |
| Paralysis | 3,573 (1.6) | 3,486 (1.6) | 87 (3.6) |
| Other neurological disorders | 12,638 (5.6) | 12,357 (5.5) | 281 (11.6) |
| Chronic pulmonary disease | 31,782 (14.1) | 31,374 (14.1) | 408 (16.8) |
| Diabetes without complications | 34,552 (15.3) | 34,089 (15.3) | 463 (19.1) |
| Diabetes with complications | 12,944 (5.7) | 12,719 (5.7) | 225 (9.3) |
| Hypothyroidism | 22,731 (10.1) | 22,453 (10.1) | 278 (11.5) |
| Renal failure | 26,715 (11.9) | 26,292 (11.8) | 423 (17.4) |
| Liver disease | 11,990 (5.3) | 11,781 (5.3) | 209 (8.6) |
| Peptic ulcer disease without bleeding | 154 (0.1) | 148 (0.1) | 6 (0.3) |
| AIDS | 1,015 (0.5) | 992 (0.4) | 23 (1.0) |
| Lymphoma | 3,384 (1.5) | 3,342 (1.5) | 42 (1.7) |
| Metastatic cancer | 8,450 (3.8) | 8,308 (3.7) | 142 (5.9) |
| Solid tumor without metastasis | 5,011 (2.2) | 4,930 (2.2) | 81 (3.3) |
| Rheumatoid arthritis/collagen vascular disease | 6,193 (2.8) | 6,118 (2.7) | 75 (3.1) |
| Coagulopathy | 10,302 (4.6) | 10,041 (4.5) | 261 (10.8) |
| Obesity | 11,728 (5.2) | 11,567 (5.2) | 161 (6.6) |
| Weight loss | 4,969 (2.2) | 4,808 (2.2) | 161 (6.6) |
| Fluid and electrolyte disorders | 34,534 (15.3) | 33,819 (15.2) | 715 (29.5) |
| Chronic blood loss anemia | 3,405 (1.5) | 3,370 (1.5) | 35 (1.4) |
| Deficiency anemias | 31,400 (13.9) | 30,901 (13.9) | 499 (20.6) |
| Alcohol abuse | 8,424 (3.7) | 8,194 (3.7) | 230 (9.5) |
| Drug abuse | 5,256 (2.3) | 5,122 (2.3) | 134 (5.5) |
| Depression | 24,748 (11.0) | 24,358 (10.9) | 390 (16.1) |
| Hypertension | 98,827 (43.8) | 97,529 (43.7) | 1,298 (53.5) |
| Delirium | 9,182 (4.1) | 8,729 (3.9) | 453 (18.7) |
| Dementia | 4,692 (2.1) | 4,579 (2.1) | 113 (4.7) |
| Insomnia | 2,261 (1.0) | 2,228 (1.0) | 33 (1.4) |
| Medication Exposures of Interest | |||
| Benzodiazepine | 53,071 (23.5) | 51,975 (23.3) | 1,096 (45.2) |
| Diphenhydramine | 18,654 (8.3) | 18,410 (8.3) | 244 (10.1) |
| Trazodone | 14,812 (6.6) | 14,556 (6.5) | 256 (10.6) |
| BZRA | 14,398 (6.4) | 14,196 (6.4) | 202 (8.3) |
| Atypical antipsychotic | 14,224 (6.3) | 13,781 (6.2) | 443 (18.3) |
| Other Medication Exposures | |||
| Barbiturate | 506 (0.2) | 493 (0.2) | 13 (0.5) |
| Opioid | 132,481 (58.8) | 131,012 (58.7) | 1,469 (60.5) |
| Typical antipsychotic | 5,366 (2.4) | 5,092 (2.3) | 274 (11.3) |
a Functional variables collected by clinical nurses on admission.
b Missing in 20,734 (9.2%).
c Missing in 31,300 (13.9%).
d Missing in 36,902 (16.4%).