Gender differences in sociodemographic, environmental and comorbidities factors associated with unintentional falls among elderly patients

• Main Authors: Mulud, Zamzaliza Abdul, Nawi, Mohd Azrulhisham Mat, Zulkifli, Ahmad Furqan, Mohamad, Norfidah, Yusof, Rashidah Mohd
• Format: Article
• Published: Universiti Putra Malaysia Press 2022
• Subjects: R Medicine
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/43765/; https://doi.org/10.47836/mjmhs18.8.10
• Institution: Universiti Malaya

Introduction: The incidents of falls increase with age. However, it is yet to be established whether these associations are influenced by gender. Therefore, this study aimed to determine gender differences in fall-related injuries among older adults treated at the hospital emergency department.. Methods: A retrospective study design was utilised in this study. The authors analysed emergency department visits data for July through December 2019 in a teaching hospital in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Data related to fall-related injuries in elderly patients was retrieved through the patient management system. The Emergency Department Falls Checklist has been used to compile all sociodemographic, environmental and comorbidities factors associated with falls in this study. Results: One hundred eighty-seven cases of fall-related injuries were documented, and 62.0 were women. Fractures accounted for 91.4 of all injuries. There was a significant difference among women and men in terms of age groups(p=0.032), marital status (p=0.019) and living arrangement (p=0.019) fall incidence treated in the emergency department. We also found significant differences between genders in risk factors and comorbidities such as having diabetes mellitus (p=0.005), visual impairment (p=0.009), history of hospitalisation due to fall (p=0.042) and history of fractures (p<0.001). Women also demonstrated longer hospitalisation time (more than three days) compared to men (p=0.006). Conclusion: Among older adults, unintentional falls are more prevalent among women. Thus, the findings highlight the importance of recognising these differences in detail and the situations in which the fall occurred since this information is vital to plan preventive actions. © 2022 UPM Press. All rights reserved.