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Falls Risk and Functional Decline in Older Fallers Discharged Directly From Emergency Departments

¹ Centre of MEGA Epidemiology, School of Population Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
² Preventative and Public Health Division, National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
³ Monash University Accident Research Centre, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.

Address correspondence to Melissa Russell, Bachelor of Physiotherapy, National Ageing Research Institute, Poplar Road, Parkville, Victoria, Australia, 3052. E-mail: m.russell{at}nari.unimelb.edu.au

	Abstract

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Background. There is currently no standard approach to falls risk assessment and management for older fallers presenting to the emergency department (ED) who are discharged directly home. Hence, this study was conducted to describe the prevalence of falls risk factors associated with older fallers presenting to the ED and to identify the factors associated with postdischarge decline in function in this group.

Methods. This cross-sectional study was performed with 300 community-dwelling individuals, aged 60 years or older, admitted to the ED following a fall, and discharged directly home. A home-based assessment after ED discharge was performed, which included the prevalence of falls risk factors, identification of functional decline, and objective measurements of balance, gait, depression, and falls efficacy.

Results. Fall-related injuries were sustained by 91% (95% confidence interval [CI], 87.2%–94.0%) of participants presenting to the ED. The most common falls risk factors identified in the home assessment were polypharmacy (79.0%, 95% CI, 73.9%–83.5%), home hazards (76.0%, 95% CI, 70.8%–80.7%), decreased balance (61.3%, 95% CI, 55.6%–66.9%), and arthritis (61.3%, 95% CI, 55.6%–66.9%). A decline in function was reported by 35% of participants (95% CI, 29.6%–40.7%). Sustaining a fracture, functional independence before the fall, being female, depression, and slower Timed Up and Go (TUG) scores were associated with a decline in function (p <.05).

Conclusion. Older fallers discharged directly from the ED have a high prevalence of falls risk factors and are at risk of functional decline.

Presentation to the ED is a valuable opportunity to identify persons at increased risk and to develop management plans to reduce the risk of further falls. However, patient assessment time is limited in EDs, and decisions need to be made quickly. Knowledge regarding the falls risk profile and functional limitations encountered by this population is required to guide post ED discharge management programs in such high-pressure environments. Although summary information is available in one study (5), there has been no published comprehensive analysis of falls risk factors for community dwellers attending an ED and discharged home after a fall.

In addition to the risk of further falls, older people presenting to the ED have been found to be at risk of a decline in short-term functional ability; approximately one fifth of older people presenting to the ED with a minor injury experienced an ongoing decline in function 3 months after discharge (6). The factors associated with functional decline among fallers presenting to the ED, and their predictive value, are relatively unknown, thereby limiting the opportunity to improve outcomes. Such research is particularly pertinent, as previous studies have shown that a decline in function can continue for 12 months in persons sustaining fractures (7), and an ongoing decline in physical activity after injury is associated with the onset of depression (8).

The objectives of this study were to: (a) describe the characteristics and prevalence of falls risk factors among community-dwelling older fallers who have presented to the ED and are discharged directly home, and (b) identify the factors associated with a short-term decline in ability to perform Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) after discharge home.

	METHODOLOGY

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Study Design and Sample
This is a cross sectional study of baseline data of a randomized controlled trial assessing the effectiveness of a falls prevention intervention. Data were collected between January 2003 and December 2004.

Participants were recruited through hospital staff from the EDs of seven acute hospitals in Melbourne, Australia. The inclusion criteria were presenting to the ED with a fall, aged 60 years or older, discharged directly home following emergency care, living in the community, and being able to walk independently. A standard falls definition was used (9). Potential participants were excluded if they were cognitively impaired, defined as having an Abbreviated Mental Test Score less than 7 (10). Written informed consent was gained from all participants, and the project was approved by the Ethics Committees at the participating hospitals.

Data Collection Methods
A post ED assessment was conducted using a structured protocol by a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, or doctor (allocation depending on time availability) at the participant's own home. The median number of days between the ED presentation and the assessment was 20 (interquartile range: 12–33). A review of the participant's medical records was undertaken to check for the diagnosis of concurrent acute medical conditions (infection, electrolyte imbalance, dehydration, or a prefall orthopedic injury) underlying the fall that caused the ED presentation.

Location of the Fall and Injury Sustained
A self-report of location and injuries sustained in the fall resulting in the ED presentation was obtained from each participant, and the most serious injury sustained is reported here.

Falls Risk Factors
The presence or absence of risk factors was based on participant self-report, researcher observation, or objective measure. The risk factors selected for this study were based on two published reviews of falls risk factors in community-dwelling adults (11,12). The inter-rater reliability of the risk factor assessments was tested on 20 consecutive participants, with 1 week between two standardized assessments, one conducted by the physiotherapist and the other by the doctor. The average Kappa statistic for the falls risk factor variables was 0.60 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.47–0.74).

Self-reported risk factors included:

• Age
  
• Having a history of falls (defined as sustaining at least one other fall in the previous 12 months, in addition to the one that brought the person to the ED)
  
• Arthritis of lower limbs or spine
  
• Incontinence
  
• Dizziness at any time in the past 3 months
  
• Somatosensory impairment (defined as constant loss of sensation in the lower limbs)
  
• Visual deficit (defined as trouble seeing objects clearly [visual acuity], trouble judging distance [depth perception], or a history of visual impairment but no vision testing in past 2 years)
  
• Use of a walking aid indoors or outdoors
  
• Depression (defined by a score of 6 or above on the Geriatric Depression Scale Short-Form [GDS-SF]) (13)
  
• Prefall functional impairment (defined by needing assistance with any personal or domestic ADLs [including showering, dressing, cooking, housework, shopping]) prior to the fall.
  

The assessor observed or measured the presence of the following risk factors:

• Polypharmacy (>3 medications) all recorded from bottles and/or packets
  
• Psychotropic medications (sedatives, antidepressants, or antipsychotics)
  
• Cardiac medications (Class 1A antiarrythmics, digoxin, diuretics)
  
• Balance deficit was measured using the Step Test (14) and Functional Reach Test (FR) (15). Balance impairment was defined as having a worst Step Test leg score of 10 or fewer steps per 15 seconds and an FR below 28 cm. These cutoffs are two standard deviations below the mean scores for a healthy group of older women (16).
  
• Home hazards (defined by having loose mats, cords across walkways, clutter, or rails required on stairs or in the bathroom)
  
• Gait impairment was assessed using the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test (17), and gait velocity over a 5 meter walkway. Gait impairment was defined as having a TUG above 12.00 seconds and usual gait speed less than 48.99 meter/min. The cutoff for the TUG has been recommended previously (18), and the cutoff for gait velocity is two standard deviations below the mean score for a nonimpaired group of older people (19).
  

Falls Efficacy
The Modified Falls Efficacy Scale (MFES) (20) asks participants to rate their current level of confidence in performing 14 functional activities without falling. Higher scores on the 0–10 scale are indicative of less fear of falling.

Outcome Measure
A decline in function was defined as requiring assistance with at least one domestic and/or personal ADL that the participant did not require assistance with prior to the fall.

Analysis
The percentage of participants with each falls risk factor in the post ED discharge assessment and 95% CI were calculated. For non-normally distributed continuous measures, medians and interquartile ranges are presented.

The association between the factors measured during the assessment and decline in function postfall were examined using multiple logistic regression analysis. Odds ratios and 95% CIs are presented. The variables included in this analysis were gender, polypharmacy, depressive symptoms (21), history of previous falls (22), fracture (7,23), bruising (6), sprain and/or strain, laceration, dislocation, concussion, low falls efficacy (24), increased age, prefall independence (25), balance measures, gait measures, presence of arthritis, diagnosis of a new underlying medical condition in the ED, and living alone. All continuous measures were divided into quintiles and evaluated for a linear association between the measure and functional decline. The number of days between the ED discharge and assessment and the occurrence of falls between the ED discharge and assessment were considered to be potential confounders.

Univariate analysis was performed between all independent variables and a decline in function. The associations were re-examined while adjusting for the two confounders. The independent variables found to be statistically significant (p <.1) in the univariate analysis were then entered into a multiple logistic regression model. Likelihood ratios were then used to construct the strongest multiple logistic regression model. STATA (Survey Design and Analysis Services Pty Ltd, Blackburn, Victoria, Australia) was used for all analyses.

	RESULTS

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Study Sample
During the study period, 480 eligible patients expressed an initial interest in the study to ED department staff; 300 consented and subsequently completed the baseline assessment, 153 did not wish to participate, and 27 could not be contacted after discharge. All participants were directly discharged home from the ED; however, 5 (1.7%) participants were admitted to the hospital at a later date for management of their fall injury. The mean age of the 300 study participants was 76.9 years (95% CI, 76.0–77.8 years). Two hundred nine (69.7%) participants were female, and 140 (46.7%) lived alone. In the days between the ED presentation and assessment, 30 (10.0%, 95% CI, 6.8%–14.0%) participants fell again. Of the 106 participants seen within 2 weeks of the ED presentation, only 4 (3.8%, 95% CI, 1.0%–9.4%) fell. The rate of falls in the period from discharge to assessment was 7.3 falls per 1000 person-days (95% CI, 5.7–9.5).

Fall Characteristics, Injuries, and Risk Factors
Two hundred seventy-three participants (91%; 95% CI, 87.2%–94.0%) reported sustaining an injury in the fall resulting in the ED presentation. The most common injury reported was fracture, and over a third of participants reported that the fall occurred inside their own home (Table 1). The mean falls risk factor per participant was 7.3 (95% CI, 7.0%–7.6%) from the 17 risk factors assessed. The most common risk factors for falls, in descending order, were polypharmacy, home hazards, balance deficit, and arthritis (Table 1). Fifteen (5.7%) of the 261 participants for whom medical records were available had an acute medical diagnosis (infection 3.4%, prefall orthopedic injury 1.5%, and dehydration 0.8%) recorded as contributing to their fall.

	DISCUSSION

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Fall Characteristics, Injuries, and Risk Factors
This study provides a unique detailed analysis of the falls risk profile of community-dwelling older fallers presenting to the ED and discharged directly home. A large number of participants sustained an injury (91%) in the fall resulting in the ED presentation, with fracture the most common injury reported (32.7%). Almost two thirds of participants sustained at least one additional fall in the 12 months prior, and the number of falls risk factors per person was high. Both of these factors have been reported previously as associated with risk of further falls (11,26). The rate of falls in the average of 20 days following ED discharge was high (7.3/1000 person-days), relative to those of community-dwelling older people (1.9/1000 person-days) and institutionalized older people (4.4/1000 person-days) (27).

Differences between study definitions of falls risk factors make comparison of the prevalence of falls risk factors between different populations difficult. However, comparison can be made between the objective measures taken in this study and those of other defined populations of older people. Figure 1 shows a comparison between the objective measures taken in this study, healthy older people (16,19,20), and older people attending a falls clinic [a high falls risk population (28)]. The summary statistics of the objective measures taken with this study's participants are similar to those obtained with the high risk group of older people attending a falls clinic and differ notably from that of healthy older people (Figure 1).

View larger version (19K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 1. Comparison between older fallers being discharged directly from the emergency department (ED), those attending a falls clinic, and healthy older nonfallers. *Falls clinic (28); healthy female (16); healthy older (19); healthy older (20); ||medians and interquartile ranges presented for ED samples. FR = Functional Reach; TUG = Timed Up and Go; MFES = Modified Falls Efficacy Scale; CI = confidence interval

Functional Decline
In the post ED assessment, over one third of participants reported an ongoing loss of function after the fall. As would be expected, fracture was strongly associated with short-term functional decline postfall. Also associated with functional decline were prefall functional independence, being female, depression (higher GDS-SF score), and poorer postfall mobility (slower TUG).

The unexpected nature of the association between prefall functional independence and functional decline postfall could be due to a number of factors. The patients who are functionally impaired prefall may be more likely to be admitted, and hence excluded from this study. Alternatively, independent older people may be more likely to attribute their decline in function to the single event (the fall) compared with less functionally independent older people, who may not distinguish any postfall loss in function from an already apparent decline. This finding requires further research. However, this result does highlight the importance of assessing for short-term assistance needs in prefall functionally independent older people, in addition to identifying those already experiencing prefall functional impairment.

These findings should be interpreted in the context of the potential limitations of the study. The sample may be a selective group, as some people may have not wished to participate or been missed by busy ED staff identifying participants. A second limitation is that we were unable to determine whether decreased mobility and depression preceded or followed the fall and decline in function. Decreased mobility and depression are risk factors for falls (11) but may also result from an injury and lack of recovery (8). Potentially there may be a more complex cause-and-effect relationship between the factors. The fall and subsequent problems may also prompt over- or underestimation of the level of prefall independence and hence, decline in function attributed to the fall.

Summary
Older fallers being discharged directly home from the ED have a high prevalence of risk factors for further falls, which are potentially modifiable; have usually sustained an injury; and are at risk of functional decline. A post ED discharge assessment, performed as soon as practical, could address the risk of further falls and need for short-term assistance.

	Acknowledgments

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This work was supported by the Australian Government Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Victorian Department of Human Services.

	Footnotes

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Decision Editor: Luigi Ferrucci, MD, PhD

Received December 4, 2005

Accepted March 26, 2006

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