Descriptive Epidemiology of Fall-Related Injuries Among Older Adults in Ontario, Canada. (17th December 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lappan, Nicolette; Zecevic, Aleksandra; Ming, Yu; Hunter, Susan; Johnson, Andrew
• Is Part Of: Innovation in aging. Volume 5(2021)Supplement 1
• Page Start: 784
• Page End: 785
• Publication Date: 2021-12-17
• Subjects: Aging -- Periodicals; Gerontology -- Periodicals; 612.67
• DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igab046.2897
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2399-5300

Abstract

Abstract: The number of older adults is growing rapidly in the province of Ontario meaning there will be more fall-related injuries (FRIs) in coming decades. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations in Canada. The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence, circumstances, types, and locations of FRIs among older adults in Ontario. Using a population-based retrospective design, we analyzed secondary data from three health administrative databases (NACRS, DAD, RPDB) for 2010-2014. Older adults (≥ 65 years) admitted to an emergency department (ED) with a combined diagnosis of ICD-10-CA codes for a fall (W00-W19) and injury (S00-S99 or T00-T14) were selected. Descriptive statistics were performed in R and rates were reported per 100, 000 population. There were 304, 610 FRI ED admissions (3, 089/100, 000) and 143, 210 patients (47.0%) were subsequently hospitalized (1, 452/100, 000). Females accounted for 63.0% ED and 61.2% hospital admissions. Age-specific rates increased with age at both ED (2, 208/100, 000 in 65-69 group, 6, 552/100, 000 in 90+ years old) and hospital (698/100, 000 in 65-69 group, 4, 364/100, 000 in 90+ years old). Females had higher rates of ED (3, 503 vs. 2, 572/100, 000) and hospital (1, 598 vs. 1, 270/100, 000) admissions than males. The most common injury types at the ED were fractures (1, 234/100, 000), superficial injuries (719/100, 000), other or unspecified injuries (572/100, 000), open wounds (498/100, 000), and sprains, strains, and tears (162/100, 000). FRIs are a considerable problem for older adults and better injury prevention strategies are needed for all female age groups, the 90+ year age group of both genders, and fractures.