@article{ref1,
title="When falls become fatal-clinical care sequence",
journal="PLoS one",
year="2021",
author="Holcomb, John B. and Wade, Charles E. and Wolf, Dwayne A. and Cheatham, Latarsha S. and Yang, Yijiong and Conway, Sadie H. and Drake, Stacy A. and Adams, Sasha D.",
volume="16",
number="1",
pages="e0244862-e0244862",
abstract="OBJECTIVES: This study encompassed fall-related deaths, including those who died prior to medical care, that were admitted to multiple healthcare institutions,  regardless of whether they died at home, in long-term care, or in hospice. The  common element was that all deaths resulted directly or indirectly from injuries  sustained during a fall, regardless of the temporal relationship. This comprehensive  approach provides an unusual illustration of the clinical sequence of fall-related  deaths. Understanding this pathway lays the groundwork for identification of gaps in  healthcare needs. <br><br>DESIGN: This is a retrospective study of 2014 fall-related deaths  recorded by one medical examiner's office (n = 511) within a larger dataset of all  trauma related deaths (n = 1848). Decedent demographic characteristics and  fall-related variables associated with the deaths were coded and described. <br><br>RESULTS:  Of those falling, 483 (94.5%) were from heights less than 10 feet and 394 (77.1%)  were aged 65+. The largest proportion of deaths (n = 267, 52.3%) occurred  post-discharge from an acute care setting. Of those who had a documented prior fall,  216 (42.3%) had a history of one fall while 31 (6.1%) had ≥2 falls prior to their  fatal incident. For the 267 post-acute care deaths, 440 healthcare admissions were  involved in their care. Of 267 deaths occurring post-acute care, 129 (48.3%) were  readmitted within 30 days. Preventability, defined as opportunities for improvement  in care that may have influenced the outcome, was assessed. Of the 1848 trauma  deaths, 511 (27.7%) were due to falls of which 361 (70.6%) were determined to be  preventable or potentially preventable. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Our data show that readmissions  and repeated falls are frequent events in the clinical sequence of fall fatalities. Efforts to prevent fall-related readmissions should be a top priority for improving  fall outcomes and increasing the quality of life among those at risk of falling.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1932-6203",
doi="10.1371/journal.pone.0244862",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244862"
}