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a Injury Surveillance and Epidemiology Section, Epidemiology and Prevention for Injury Control Branch, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento
Arthur A. Ellis, Department of Health Services, Epidemiology and Prevention for Injury Control Branch, Injury Surveillance and Epidemiology Section, 611 N. 7th Street, MS 39A, PO Box 942732, Sacramento, CA 94234-7320 E-mail: aellis{at}dhs.ca.gov.
Decision Editor: John E. Morley, MB, BCh
Background. Research on fall injuries in older persons generally does not examine different types of falls separately. (The main types are same level, from one level to another, and on or from stairs and steps.) There is no a priori reason to believe that various types of falls have similar demographic risk factors and consequences. Therefore, we examined patterns in types of falls, place of falls, and consequences of fall injuries as Californians move through their later decades.
Methods. We analyzed all computerized patient discharge records for all adults 20 years and over hospitalized with a fall as the principal external cause of injury in California nonfederal acute care hospitals, from 1995 through 1997 (N = 242,166). Older-adult age groups were compared with all younger adults. Place of fall, hospital charges, and disposition at discharge were analyzed by type of fall.
Results. The three main types of fall injury increase with age, but each type shows variation by age and sex. Women have the highest rates for the main types but not for the less common types. Hospitalized falls vary by place of fall. Mean hospital charges ($17,086) vary by type of fall, with falls from one level to another having the largest mean hospital charge ($19,632). Disposition at discharge does not vary by type of fall.
Conclusions. We found significant variation in demographic factors, place of fall, and mean hospital charges for falling by type of fall, suggesting that future research should focus on individual types of falls rather than on aggregated falls.
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