Incidence of falls and fall-related characteristics in hospitalized children in South Korea: a descriptive study

Abstract

Purpose: With the recent increase in interest in patient safety, prevention of falls in hospitalized children has become important. This study aimed to identify the incidence rate of falls among hospitalized children and explore fall-related characteristics.Methods: This retrospective descriptive study analyzed the medical information of 18,119 patients aged <18 years admitted to a general hospital in South Korea from electronic medical records and fall event reports between January 1, 2018, and September 30, 2023. The study variables included the general and clinical characteristics of the fall group and fall-related characteristics of the fall events. This study employed descriptive statistics and a chi-square test using IBM SPSS version 26.0.Results: Among the patients, 82 fall events were identified. Therefore, the fall incidence rate was 4.5 falls per 1,000 patients. Furthermore, a statistically significant difference was found concerning the type of injury sustained between children >1 year old and those <1 year old, and most cases had no damage or bruises. More cases were found in which falls occurred two days after hospitalization in winter and summer than on the day or the day after hospitalization, which was a statistically significant difference. In addition, fall prevalence was higher between 8 am and 4 pm, and when no caregiver was present. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, education and interventions to prevent fall events in infants and toddlers should persist throughout hospitalization, and it is necessary to guide continuous management and observation of the caregivers.