J Korean Acad Nurs.  2013 Oct;43(5):595-604. 10.4040/jkan.2013.43.5.595.

Risk Factors for Pediatric Inpatient Falls

• Cho MS
• Song MR
• Cha SK

• KMID: 1707161
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2013.43.5.595

Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for pediatric inpatients falls.
METHODS
The study was a matched case-control design. The participants were 279 patients under the age of 6 who were admitted between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2009. Through chart reviews, 93 pediatric patients who fell and 186 ones who did not fall were paired by gender, age, diagnosis, and length of stay. Five experts evaluated the 38 fall risk factors selected by the researchers.
RESULTS
In a general hospital, pediatric patients with secondary diagnosis, tests that need the patient to be moved, intravenous lines, hyperactivity, anxiolytics, sedatives and hypnotics, and general anesthetics showed significance for falls on adjusted-odds ratios. Conditional logistic regression analysis was performed to elucidate the factors that influence pediatric inpatient falls. The probability of falls increased with hyperactivity and general weakness. Patients who didn't have tests that required them to be moved and intravenous line had a higher risk of falls.
CONCLUSION
These findings provide information that is relevant in developing fall risk assessment tools and prevention programs for pediatric inpatient falls.

Keyword

Accidental falls; Risk factors; Inpatients

MeSH Terms

Accidental Falls/*prevention & control
Age Factors
Analgesics
Case-Control Studies
Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Hematologic Diseases/pathology
Hospitalization
Hospitals, General
Humans
Infant
Length of Stay
Logistic Models
Male
Neoplasms/pathology
Odds Ratio
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors
Sex Factors
Analgesics

Reference

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