Recurrent falls are associated with increased length of stay in elderly psychiatric inpatients

Objectives To identify factors which may contribute to prolonged length of stay in an elderly psychiatric inpatient setting. Design Retrospective case note study. Methods A list of all patients over the age of 65 discharged from a private psychiatric hospital over a three‐year period excluding those...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of geriatric psychiatry 2001-10, Vol.16 (10), p.965-968
Main Authors: Greene, Elaine, Cunningham, Conal J., Eustace, Andrew, Kidd, Nick, Clare, Anthony W., Lawlor, Brian A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidental Falls
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Biological and medical sciences
elderly
Female
Geriatrics
Hospitals, Psychiatric
Humans
length of stay
Length of Stay - statistics & numerical data
Male
Medical sciences
Mental Disorders - therapy
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychotropic Drugs - adverse effects
Psychotropic Drugs - therapeutic use
Recurrence
recurrent falls
retrospective case-note study
Retrospective Studies
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Summary:Objectives To identify factors which may contribute to prolonged length of stay in an elderly psychiatric inpatient setting. Design Retrospective case note study. Methods A list of all patients over the age of 65 discharged from a private psychiatric hospital over a three‐year period excluding those with a length of stay of over 365 days was obtained (n = 1147). A random sample of 150 patients was selected from the study population. A case note study was then performed looking at a number of variables which have been postulated to affect length of stay. The resulting data was analysed using multivariate statistics. Results There was no statistically significant association found between baseline factors (including age, gender, cognitive impairment, marital status, order of admission and preadmission living arrangement) and length of stay. Having recurrent falls whilst an inpatient was associated with prolonged hospital stay (p = 0.0006). Conclusion Experiencing recurrent falls whilst an inpatient is associated with prolonged length of stay. Recurrent falls in the elderly may be associated with both physical illness and the use of psychotropic medications. A prospective study examining factors contributing to falls would be important in decreasing fall risk and reducing length of stay. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ISSN:0885-6230
1099-1166
DOI:10.1002/gps.463