Analysis of Hospital Safety and Risk of Falls in the Elderly: A Cross-Sectional Study in Brazil

Leane Macêdo de Carvalho, Letície Batista Lira, Lairton Batista de Oliveira, Annarelly Morais Mendes, Francisco Gilberto Fernandes Pereira, Francisca Tereza de Galiza, Lívia Carvalho Pereira and Ana Larissa Gomes Machado ()
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Leane Macêdo de Carvalho: School of Nursing, Federal University of Piauí-UFPI, Teresina 64049550, Brazil
Letície Batista Lira: School of Nursing, Federal University of Piauí-UFPI, Teresina 64049550, Brazil
Lairton Batista de Oliveira: School of Nursing, Graduate Program in Nursing (PPGENF), Federal University of Piauí- UFPI, Teresina 64049550, Brazil
Annarelly Morais Mendes: School of Nursing, Graduate Program in Nursing (PPGENF), Federal University of Piauí- UFPI, Teresina 64049550, Brazil
Francisco Gilberto Fernandes Pereira: School of Nursing, Graduate Program in Nursing (PPGENF), Federal University of Piauí- UFPI, Teresina 64049550, Brazil
Francisca Tereza de Galiza: School of Nursing, Graduate Program in Nursing (PPGENF), Federal University of Piauí- UFPI, Teresina 64049550, Brazil
Lívia Carvalho Pereira: School of Nursing, Graduate Program in Nursing (PPGENF), Federal University of Piauí- UFPI, Teresina 64049550, Brazil
Ana Larissa Gomes Machado: School of Nursing, Graduate Program in Nursing (PPGENF), Federal University of Piauí- UFPI, Teresina 64049550, Brazil

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 8, 1-14

Abstract: This study analyzed hospital safety and the risk of falls in elderly people in a university hospital in Brazil. The Morse Falls Scale was used to stratify the risk of falls in 45 hospitalized elderly individuals, and two checklists were used to analyze the hospital environment. The analysis was based on the Chi-square test and multiple regression. The moderate risk of falls was predominant (51.1%). The variable age group ( p -value = 0.024) showed statistical evidence of association with the risk of falls. However, the multiple regression analysis showed no difference between the age groups and the risk situation for falls. The hospital wards showed an adequate arrangement of furniture, but some aspects had inadequacies, such as objects in the corridors, non-functional bells in some beds, inadequacy of the toilet bowls in terms of the recommended height, and an absence of non-slip flooring and the support bar in some bathrooms. In conclusion, the moderate risk of falls among the elderly and the adequacy of the hospital environment to technical standards were evident with the exception of failures in the emergency communication system and sanitary installation.

Keywords: elderly; fall accidents; patient safety (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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